3  1822  01267  8512 


PS  1006  AS  06  1882 


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UP  THE  RIVER 


THE    GREAT    WESTERN    SERIES 


UP  THE  RIVER 


OB 


YACHTING  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI 


BY 


OLIVER  OPTIC 


AUTHOR  OP  "YOUNG  AMERICA  ABROAD"  "THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY   SERIES"  "THE 

WOODVILLE  SERIES"   "THE    STARRY  FLAG   SERIES"   "THE    BOAT  CLUB 

STORIES"   "THE  LAKE   SHORE   SERIES"   "THE  UPWARD  AND 

ONWABD   SERIES"   "THE   YACHT  CLUB  SERIES" 

"THE  RIVERDALE  STORIES"  ETC. 


WITH  EIGHT  ILLUSTRATIONS 


BOSTON 
LEE    AND    SHEPARD    PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YOKK  CHAKLES  T.  DILUNGHAM 

1882 


COPYRIGHT, 

1881, 
BY  WILLIAM  T.  ADAMS. 


BOSTON  STEREOTYPE  FOUKDBY, 
No.  4  PEARL  STREET. 


TO  MY  YOUNG  FRIEND 


MINNIE    ETHEL    ADAMS, 


IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


THE  GREAT  WESTERN  SERIES. 


GOING  WEST;    OR,  THE  PERILS  OF  A  POOR  BOY. 
OUT  WEST;   OR,  ROUGHING  IT  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES. 
LAKE  BREEZES ;    OR,  THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  SYLVANIA. 

GOING    SOUTH;     OR,  YACHTING  ON  THE  ATLANTIC 
COAST. 

DOWN  SOUTH ;   OR,  YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA. 
UP  THE  RIVER;    OR,  YACHTING  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


LEE  AND  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


PREFACE. 


UP  THE  RIVER  is  the  sixth  and  last  of  "The  Great 
Western  Series."  The  events  of  the  story  occur  on  the 
coast  of  Florida,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  The  volume  and  the  series  close  with  the 
return  of  the  hero,  by  a  route  not  often  taken  by  tourists,  to 
his  home  in  Michigan.  His  voyaging  on  the  ocean,  the 
Great  Lakes,  and  the  Father  of  Waters,  is  finished  for  the 
present ;  but  the  writer  believes  that  his  principal  character 
has  grown  wiser  and  better  since  he  was  first  introduced 
to  the  reader.  Ho  has  made  mistakes  of  judgment,  but 
whatever  of  example  and  inspiration  he  may  impart  to  the 
reader  will  be  that  of  a  true  and  noble  boy,  with  no  vices 
to  disfigure  his  character,  and  no  low  aims  to  lead  him  from 
"  the  straight  and  narrow  path  "  of  duty. 

The  author  has  a  copy  of  his  first  book  before  him  as  he 
writes.  On  the  title-page  is  this  line :  "  A  Tale  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  the  South-West."  The  preface,  dated  1852, 
contains  this  passage:  "In  the  summer  of  1848,  the  author 
of  the' following  tale  was  a  passenger  on  board  of  a  steam- 
boat from  New  Orleans  to  Cincinnati.  During  the  passage 
—  one  of  the  most  prolonged  and  uncomfortable  in  the 


6  PEEFACE. 

annals  of  western  river  navigation — the  plot  of  this  story 
was  arranged.  Many  of  its  incidents,  and  all  of  its  descrip- 
tions of  steamboat  life  will  be  recognized  by  the  voyager  on 
the  Mississippi."  Since  that  time  the  author  has  travelled 
on  the  upper  waters  of  the1  great  river. 

His  last  book,  by  a  coincidence  at  the  present  time,  also 
relates  to  the  Mississippi.  Nearly  a  generation  has  passed 
away  between  the  first  and  the  last ;  and  the  latter  is  the 
writer's  seventy-fifth  book.  The  author  has  endeavored  to 
make  his  works  correct  in  facts  and  descriptions,  as  well  as 
in  moral  tendency ;  and  in  the  preparation  of  them  he  has 
travelled  over  fifty  thousand  miles  by  sea  and  land. 

To  his  young  friends,  —  some  of  the  earlier  of  whom  are 
now  middle-aged  men  and  women,  with  boys  and  girls 
of  their  own,  reading  the  same  books  their  fathers  and 
mothers  read  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  —  to  his  young 
friends  the  author  again  returns  his  sincere  and  hearty 
thanks  for  the  favor  they  have  bestowed  upon  his  numerous 
volumes. 

DORCHESTER,  MASS.,  June  1, 1881. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGK 

IN  CAPTAIN  BOOMSBY'S  SALOON       .       .       .       .       11 

CHAPTER  II. 
FOUR  THOUSAND  DOLLARS       .     •  t       .       .       •.       23 

CHAPTER  III. 
ADIEU  TO  THE  BOOMSBYS 34: 

CHAPTER  IV. 

NlCK  BOOMSBY  HAS  ASPIRATIONS       ....          47 

CHAPTER  V. 
THE  STRANGE  MOVEMENT  OF  THE  ISLANDER  .        .       59 

CHAPTER  VI. 

A  LIVELY  CHASE  ...        .       71 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 
A  FOG  OFF  THE  FLORIDA  COAST     ....       81 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
A  PORT  m  A  STORM 93 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  VISIT  FROM  AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  .        .        .      104 

CHAPTER  X. 
INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  ISLANDER      ....      116 

CHAPTER  XI. 
DIFFICULT  NAVIGATION 127 

CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  CALAMITY  ON  FRENCH  REEF    ....      138 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  NIGHT  LOST  IN  THE  STORM 149 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
LOOKING  FOR  THE  ISLANDER 160 

CHAPTER  XV. 
A  PARTIAL  SOLUTION  OF  THE  MYSTERY  .       .       .      172 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
ACROSS  THE  GULF  OF  MEXICO         ....      184 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  SYLVANIA  IN  AMBUSH 196 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
How  NICK  BOOMSBY  MANAGED  HIS  CASE       .        .      208 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  SEARCH  FOR  THE  LOST  TREASURE       .  .      220 

CHAPTER  XX. 
THE  THEORY  AND  THE  FACTS  .        .        .        .        .      231 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

UP  THE  MISSISSIPPI   .         -.;         ...•„..          .        242 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE  ISLANDER  IN  A  BAD  Fix 253 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
AN  EMBARRASSING  SITUATION 265 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  CREVASSE  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI  277 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

SAILING  ACROSS  THE  FIELDS    .        .        .        .      „.      289 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
A  DESPERATE  STRUGGLE  WITH  THE  RUSHING  WATERS    301 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
THE  PLANTER  AND  HIS  FAMILY       ....      312 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
A  DISTINGUISHED  PASSENGER 324 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

UP  THE  RIVER  FOR  MANY  DAYS        ...',.  .        335 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

UP  ANOTHER  RIVER  AND  HOME  AGAIN    .  347 


UP  THE  RIVER; 

OB, 

YACHTING  O1ST  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


CHAPTER  I. 
IN  CAPTAIN  BOOMSBY'S  SABOON. 

"T  DON'T  think  it's  quite  the  thing,  Alick,"  said 
-•-  my  cousin,  Owen  Garningham,  as  we  were 
walking  through  Bay  Street  after  our  return  to 
Jacksonville  from  the  interior  of  Florida. 

"What  is  not  quite  the  thing,  Owen?"  I  in- 
quired, for  he  had  given  me  no  clue  to  what  he 
was  thinking  about. 

"After  I  chartered  your  steamer  for  a  year  to 
come  here,  and  go  up  the  Mississippi  River  —  by 
the  way,  this  river  is  called  'The  Father  of 
Waters,'  isn't  it?"  asked  Owen,  flying  off  from 
the  subject  in  his  mind,  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
doing. 

w  Every  schoolboy  in  this  country  learns  that 
from  his  geography,"  I  replied. 


12  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  Happily,  I  was  never  a  schoolboy  in  this  coun- 
try, and  I  didn't  find  it  out  from  the  geography. 
If  the  Mississippi  is  the  Father  of  Waters,  can 
you  tell  me  who  is  the  mother  of  them  ?  " 

"TheMiss'ouri." 

"  O,  ah  !  Don't  you  feel  faint,  Captain  Alick  ?  " 
added  Owen,  stopping  short  on  the  sidewalk,  and 
gazing  into  my  face  with  a  look  of  mock  anxiety. 

"  Not  at  all ;  I  think  I  could  swallow  a  burly 
Briton  or  two,  if  the  occasion  required." 

"Don't  do  it!  It  would  ruin  your  digestion. 
But  it  strikes  me  those  two  rivers  are  but  one." 

"  I  think  so,  too,  and  they  ought  to  be.  Father 
and  mother- — man  and  wife  —  ought  to  be  one," 
I  answered,  as  indifferently  as  I  could.  "But 
something  was  not  quite  the  thing ;  and  if  there  is 
anything  in  this  country  that  is  not  quite  the  thing, 
I  want  to  know  what  it  is." 

"  When  I  chartered  the  Sylvania  to  come  down 
here,  and  then  go  up  the  'Father  of  Waters,'  it 
isn't  quite  the  thing  for  your  father  to  declare  the 
whole  thing  off  at  this  point  of  the  cruise,"  replied 
Owen.  "  I  was  going  to  have  a  jolly  good  tune 
going  up  the  river." 

"  You  may  have  it  yet,  for  I  have  given  you  a 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  1 

cordial  invitation  to  go  '  up  the  river '  with  me ; 
and  I  mean  every  word  I  said  about  the  matter,"  I 
added,  in  soothing  tones. 

"But  your  father  says  the  charter  arrangement 
is  ended,  and  you  may  go  where  you  like  in  your 
steamer." 

"And  I  concluded  at  once  to  carry  out  all  the 
arrangements  for  this  trip,  just  as  we  made  them 
at  Detroit,"  I  replied.  "  I  have  invited  the  Shep- 
ards  and  the  Tiffany s  to  join  us,  and  everything 
will  go  on  just  as  it  did  before,  except  that  you 
will  not  pay  the  bills." 

"Which  means  that,  if  I  join  you  at  all,  I  shall 
not  be  myself,"  returned  Owen,  with  a  look  of 
disgust.  "  In  other  words,  I  shall  not  be  my  own 
master,  and  I  must  go  where  my  uncle  and  you 
may  choose  to  take  me." 

"  Not  at  all ;  we  are  going  up  the  Mississippi 
simply  because  that  is  the  route  you  selected,  and 
because  I  desire  to  cany  out  your  plan  of  travel 
to  the  letter,"  I  replied,  rather  warmly.  "  I  don't 
think  I  could  do  anything  more  to  meet  your  views 
than  I  have  done." 

"You  are  as  noble,  grand,  magnanimous,  as  it 
is  possible  for  any  fellow  to  be,  Alick ;  but  that 


14  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

don't  make  me  any  more  willing  to  be  under  obli- 
gations to  you  every  day  of  my  life." 

"You  need  feel  under  no  obligations  to  me." 

"Ah,  but  I  do,  you  see ;  and  I  still  think  it  was 
not  just  the  thing  to  break  away  from  the  written 
agreement  we  made,"  continued  Owen,  unable  to 
conceal  his  vexation. 

"  I  think  you  ought  not  to  say  another  word  in 
that  line  of  remark,  Owen.  A  contract  to  do 
anything  fraudulent  is  void  from  the  beginning. 
Do  you  remember  for  what  purpose  you  chartered 
theSylvania?" 

"  If  you  won't  say  another  word  about  it,  Alick, 
I  won't !  "  exclaimed  my  cousin,  extending  his 
hand  to  me,  which  I  immediately  grasped. 

"  I  won't,  unless  you  drive  me  to  it,"  I  replied. 
"  I  have  not  reminded  you  of  what  occurred  while 
we  were  coming  South,  and  I  never  will,  for  I 
think  Carrington  was  the  villain  of  the  drama,  and 
not  you." 

"  You  are  right,  Alick ;  and  you  are  the  best 
fellow  that  ever  lived  !  "  protested  Owen.  "  But  I 
would  like  to  pay  my  share  of  the  expenses  of  the 
cruise  from  this  day,  as  I  have  done  before.  I 
shall  feel  better  about  it  if  I  do." 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  15 

w  I  will  speak  to  my  father  about  that.  I  am 
sure  I  don't  object  to  your  paying  your  share,"  I 
answered.  "  I  am  willing  to  carry  out  the  agree- 
ment just  as  we  made  it ;  but  my  father  takes  a 
different  view  of  the  subject." 

"  I  know  he  does,  and  I  can't  blame  him,"  re- 
plied Owen.  "  He  means  simply  to  say  that  his 
son  shall  be  under  no  obligations  to  me,  after  what 
has  happened." 

"  Let  us  say  nothing  more  about  this  matter, 
Owen,"  I  added ;  "  it  is  not  a  pleasant  topic  to  me, 
any  more  than  it  was  to  him." 

"When  do  we  sail,  if  I  sail  with  you,  Alick?" 
he  asked. 

"  To-moiTOW  morning ;  and  we  should  be  on 
board  to-night,  ready  for  an  early  start,  for  we 
have  to  conform  to  the  tide  on  the  bar  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  The  Tiffanys  will  go  with  us, 
but  the  Shepards  have  not  yet  accepted  the  invita- 
tion I  gave  them." 

"I  am  going  to  Colonel  Shepard's  house  now, 
and  I  will  find  out  whether  they  are  going  or  not," 
said  Owen,  as  we  came  to  a  street  leading  to  St. 
James's  Square,  where  Colonel  Shepard's  house 
was  located. 


16  UP  THE  EIVER;  OK, 

"And  I  will  drop  into  Captain  Boomsby's  sa- 
loon," I  added. 

"The  beast  Boomsby  !  Why  do  you  go  there, 
Alick?"  demanded  Owen,  with  a  look  of  disgust 
and  astonishment  in  his  face. 

"  I  lived  with  him  for  years,  and  I  will  just  say 
good-by  to  him,  for  I  may  never  see  him  again. 
I  hope  I  never  shall,  at  any  rate.  He  has  abused 
and  wronged  me,  but  I  am  willing  to  forgive  him 
if  he  will  only  keep  out  of  my  way." 

"  Ton  my  word,  I  believe  you  would  forgive  a 
man  if  he  blew  your  brains  out;  Alick  ?  " 

"  If  it  were  a  matter  of  brains,  I  couldn't  do  it ; 
but  if  I  had  heart  enough  left,  I  would  try  to  for- 
give him  if  he  was  sorry  for  what  he  had  done." 

"You  forgave  me,  and  it  is  easy  enough  for 
you  to  do  the  same  with  Beast  Boomsby,"  added 
Owen,  as  he  turned  up  the  street  to  his  desti- 
nation. 

I  had  been  made  the  victim  of  a  plot,  and  taught 
to  believe  that  my  father,  Sir  Bent  Garningham, 
was  dead.  The  little  steamer  Sylvania  was  my 
own  property,  for  I  had  earned  it  by  saving  the 
lives  of  her  original  owner  and  his  family.  Pike 
Carrington,  my  father's  solicitor  in  England,  had 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  17 

induced  the  son  of  my  father's  younger  brother  to 
make  an  attempt  to  get  me  "  out  of  the  way." 

The  villain  had  acted  more  for  his  own  interest 
than  for  that  of  my  cousin.  They  had  called  in 
my  old  enemy  Captain  Parker  Boomsby,  and  sent 
him  to  Florida  in  one  steamer,  while  Owen  went 
with  me  in  the  Sylvania.  My  friend  Kobert 
Washburn,  the  mate  of  the  steam-yacht,  had  dis- 
covered the  plot,  and  we  had  been  on  our  guard 
night  and  day  to  meet  any  treachery. 

Captain  Boomsby  claimed  me  and  all  that  I  had, 
when  he  learned  that  my  father  was  dead.  He 
had  done  his  best  to  obtain  the  steam-yacht,  but 
his  unfortunate  habit  of  drinking  too  much  whis- 
key had  defeated  his  plan.  In  his  attempt  to 
destroy  me  he  had  taken  the  life  of  the  solicitor. 

On  our  voyage,  "going  South,"  we  had  encoun- 
tered a  heavy  gale  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 
Owen  Garningham,  my  cousin,  had  been  swept 
from  the  hurricane-deck  of  the  Sylvania  by  the 
raging  sea.  At  the  risk  of  my  own,  I  had  saved 
his  life.  This  act  had  conquered  him,  and  he  no 
longer  took  any  interest  in  the  plan  to  destroy  me, 
if  he  had  ever  thought  of  anything  so  bad  as  this. 
He  became  my  strong  friend,  and  had  no  further 


18  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

desire  to  rob  me  of  my  father's  estate,  or  to  obtain 
the  title,  for  which  he  cared  more  than  I  did. 

The  Shepards  were  a  family  we  first  met  at  a 
regatta  in  Portland  Harbor.  Owen  had  become 
deeply  interested  in  Miss  Edith,  the  daughter, 
and,  at  his  invitation,  the  family  had  come  most 
of  the  way  to  Florida  in  the  steamer.  We  had 
been  up  the  Ocklawaha  River  to  Lake  Griffin,  and 
up  the  St.  Johns  as  far  as  any  steamer  could  go. 
My  father,  who  had  left  me  at  college  in  Monto- 
mercy,  to  attend  to  his  affairs  in  England,  had 
been  called  to  India  on  business.  His  absence 
was  the  opportunity  for  the  conspirators,  and  they 
destroyed  our  letters. 

When  I  learned  that  my  father  was  not  dead,  I 
had  written  to  him.  He  had  followed  me  up  the 
St.  Johns,  and  appeared  in  time  to  save  me  from 
the  bullet  of  one  of  Captain  Boomsby's  agents. 
He  learned  the  whole  truth  from  me,  and  at  once 
cancelled  the  charter  by  which  my  cousin  Owen 
was  to  have  the  use  of  the  steamer  for  a  year,  one 
half  of  which  had  now  expired. 

The  Tiflanys  were  father  and  daughter,  whom 
the  crew  of  the  Sylvania  had  saved  from  a  fire  at 
St.  Augustine.  The  gentleman  was  an  intimate 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  19 

friend  of  my  father,  who  requested  him  to  see  me 
when  he  visited  this  country.  His  daughter  Mar- 
gie, if  not  as  pretty  as  Edith  Shepard,  interested 
me  more.  As  arranged  before  we  left  Detroit,  we 
were  to  go  up  the  Mississippi  River.  The  Tif- 
fanys  had  accepted  the  invitation  to  join  us,  for 
they  were  tourists  for  pleasure  and  observation. 

My  father  was  an  English  baronet,  succeeding 
to  the  title  and  estates  by  the  death  of  an  elder 
brother.  He  had  served  in  the  army  for  many 
years,  and  had  attained  the  rank  of  major.  He 
was  better  pleased  to  be  called  by  his  military 
than  by  his  family  title,  in  this  republican  land. 
But  he  was  too  proud  to  allow  me  to  continue  in 
the  employ  of  my  cousin,  though  he  .did  not  object 
to  his  nephew  as  a  passenger  when  I  desired  it. 
He  left  everything  to  me  to  manage  as  I  pleased 
after  he  had  cancelled  the  charter  agreement. 
With  this  abstract  of  previous  events  my  readers 
will  be  prepared  to  understand  what  is  to  follow. 

Captain  Boomsby's  saloon  was  on  Bay  Street. 
He  had  a  bar  for  the  white  and  respectable  cus- 
tomers on  that  street,  and  another  in  the  rear  for 
negroes.  I  was  never  even  tempted  to  drink  any 
intoxicating  beverages ;  and  when  he  became  a 


20  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

rumseller,  I  thought  my  tyrant  had  found  his 
proper  level.  His  son  Nick  tended  the  front  bar, 
while  he  waited  upon  the  negroes,  who  imbibed 
the  cheapest  corn-whiskey  and  apple-brandy  by 
the  tumbler-full  at  a  dram. 

When  I  went  into  the  saloon  Captain  Boomsby 
was  seated  in  the  rear  of  the  room,  where  he  had 
a  view  of  both  bars.  He  was  at  least  half  "  full " 
himself.  He  was  badly  bloated,  and  his  face  was 
red  and  almost  honeycombed  with  toddy-blossoms. 

"Well,  Sandy,  what  do  you  want  now?"  de- 
manded the  saloon-keeper,  when  I  came  into  his 
presence.  He  did  not  call  me  "Alick,"  as  others 
did,  but  still  used  the  name  by  which  I  had  been 
known  when  he  took  me  from  the  poor-house  in 
the  State  of  Maine. 

ff  Nothing,  Captain  Boomsby ;  only  we  sail  to- 
morrow, and  I  thought  I  would  say  good-by  to 
you,  for  I  may  never  see  you  again,"  I  replied. 

"I  never  want  to  see  you  no  more,"  growled 
he.  "You've  always  behaved  bad  ever  since  I  fust 
knowed  you,  and  you  will  come  to  some  bad  end 
yet." 

ft  I  hope  not,"  I  said,  seating  myself. 

"You  sartin  will.     I  took  care  on  you  when  you 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  21 

was  little,  and  done  everything  I  could  for  you ; 
but  you  have  worked  agin  me  from  the  fust." 

As  I  seated  myself  I  saw  a  customer  come  up 
to  the  front  bar.  He  had  a  package,  which  he 
laid  upon  the  counter  while  he  poured  out  his 
dram. 

"  I  don't  think  it's  any  use  for  you  and  me  to 
talk  over  these  things,"  I  added,  turning  my  eyes 
from  the  counter  to  the  bloated  face  of  my  former 
tyrant.  "We  shall  not  be  likely  to  agree  in  re- 
gard to  matters  in  the  past." 

"  You  know  just  as  well  as  I  do  that  the  steam- 
yachet  you  sail  in  rightfully  belongs  to  me,"  he 
added. 

"I  think  not.  If  she  belongs  to  anybody  be- 
sides myself,  it  must  be  to  my  father." 

M  That  man  ain't  your  father  any  more'n  I  am." 

At  that  moment  a  rather  rough-looking  man 
came  into  the  saloon,  walked  far  enough  back  to 
look  into  the  negro  bar,  and  then  retreated. 

"I  think  it  has  been  fully  proved  that  Major 
Gamingham  is  my  father,"  I  replied. 

I  had  scarcely  spoken  the  words,  as  the  rough- 
looking  visitor  was  retreating  without  any  dram, 
when  Nick  made  a  flying  leap  over  the  counter, 


22  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    ,OR, 

and  rushed  out  at  the  street  door.  The  gentleman 
with  the  package  had  his  eyes  upturned  to  the 
ceiling,  in  the  act  of  draining  the  tumbler  in  which 
he  had  elaborately  stirred  up  the  fiery  mixture. 

When  Nick  went  over  the  counter  the  customer 
was  startled.  He  saw,  at  the  same  moment  I  dis- 
covered the  fact,  that  the  package  he  had  laid 
upon  the  counter  was  missing.  He  rushed  out  of 
the  saloon  like  a  crazy  man. 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  23 


CHAPTER  H. 

FOUR  THOUSAND  DOLLARS. 

"TTTHAT  on  airth  does  all  that  mean?"  said 

"  »  Captain  Boomsby,  rising  with  difficulty 
from  his  chair,  and  walking  towards  the  front 
door. 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  I  replied.  "  I  saw 
Nick  leap  over  the  counter  as  though  he  had  found 
a  mocassin-snake  behind  it." 

"Don't  say  nothin'  about  mocassins  here,  for 
you  scart  my  wife  out  of  her  seven  senses  once 
afore,"  said  the  captain,  savagely,  as  he  stopped 
and  looked  at  me. 

He  had  set  a  trap  to  have  such  a  snake  bite  me 
in  his  house  ;  but  I  was  not  thinking  of  that  when 
I  named  the  venomous  reptile.  This  event,  and 
the  quantity  of  his  own  vile  fluids  he  consumed, 
made  him  sensitive  on  the  subject  of  snakes.  I 
was  afraid  he  would  soon  see  more  of  them  than 
he  could  manage. 


24  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

"What  made  Nick  run  out  so  quick,  and  what 
did  Peverell  follow  him  for,  without  payin'  for  his 
liquor?"  continued  Captain  Boomsby,  when  he 
had  properly  admonished  me  in  regard  to  the 
snakes. 

"  I  don't  know,  sir,"  I  replied.  "Who  was  the 
man  that  followed  Nick?" 

"That  was  Peverell." 

"Who  is  Peverell?"  I  asked.  "What  does  he 
do?" 

"  He  is  the  messenger,  I  believe  they  call  him, 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Florida." 

"That  explains  it  all,  then,"  I  added,  beginning 
to  understand  the  situation. 

"I  don't  see  nothin'.  What  explains  it  all?" 
demanded  the  captain,  testily. 

"  Peverell  had  a  package  when  he  came  in.  He 
put  it  on  the  counter  before  he  poured  out  his 
dram,"  I  explained.  "When  Nick  went  over  the 
counter  the  package  was  gone.  If  Peverell  is  the 
messenger  of  a  bank,  I  have  no  doubt  the  bundle 
contained  money  in  bank  notes." 

"  Creation  !  You  don't !  But  what  made  Nick 
go  over  the  bar  so  like  a  hoppergrass  ?  "  exclaimed 
the  saloon-keeper. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  25 

"  I  don't  know.  I  can  only  understand  what  I 
saw." 

"If  Nick's  got  that  bundle  of  money,  he's 
smart,"  added  Captain  Boomsby. 

"Do  you  think  it  was  smart  to  steal  it,  cap- 
tain ?  "  I  asked,  mildly. 

"How  big  a  package  was  it,  Sandy?"  replied 
my  tyrant,  turning  away  from  the  moral  question. 

"It  was  at  least  two  inches  thick." 

"  Creation !  Then  there  ain't  less  than  a  thou- 
sand dollars  in  it !  " 

"Let  us  hope  that  Nick  did  not  take  it,"  I 
added. 

"Well,  you  go  out,  Sandy,  and  see  where 
Nick's  gone.  I  can't  leave  both  bars  without  any- 
body to  look  out  for  'em,  for  them  niggers  will 
come  in  and  steal  the  liquor  as  quick  as  they  will 
chickens." 

I  was  interested  to  know  the  meaning  of  what  I 
had  seen  in  the  saloon,  and  I  went  out  into  Bay 
Street.  A  crowd  of  men  were  rushing  towards  a 
narrow  street  leading  down  to  the  river.  I  fol- 
lowed them,  and,  near  the  landing-place  of  the 
Charleston  steamers,  I  saw  a  colored  policeman 
lay  violent  hands  on  the  rough-looking  person  who 


26  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

had  walked  into  the  saloon,  looked  into  the  negro 
bar,  and  then  retreated. 

,  Nick  was  on  the  spot,  hatless  and  coatless, 
almost  as  soon  as  the  policeman  had  grabbed  his 
victim.  Mr.  Peverell  was  only  a  moment  behind. 
By  this  time  I  had  framed  an  explanation  of  what 
had  transpired  in  the  saloon  which  satisfied  me  for 
the  moment,  whether  it  was  correct  or  not.  While 
Peverell  was  concocting  his  beverage  —  and  he 
had  seemed  to  me  to  be  very  dainty  and  particular 
in  the  preparation  of  it  —  he  had  almost  turned 
his  back  upon  the  package  on  the  counter. 

I  was  not  bestowing  any  particular  attention 
upon  the  rough-looking  visitor,  but  I  had  seen 
him  pass  close  by  the  bank  messenger.  I  con- 
cluded that  he  had  snatched  up  the  package  on  the 
counter,  and  retreated  with  it  from  the  saloon. 
Nick  had  either  seen  the  man  take  the  bundle,  or 
had  discovered  that  it  was  missing.  No  one  could 
have  taken  it  but  the  person  who  was  passing  out 
of  the  door.  On  the  impulse  of  the  moment  the 
young  bar-tender  had  leaped  over  the  counter  to 
pursue  the  thief. 

Of  course  a  crowd  quickly  collected  around  the 
robber  and  the  policeman,  with  Nick  and  the  mes- 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  27 

senger  in  the  inner  circle.  The  bank  official  was 
very  much  excited,  and  I  judged  that  the  package 
contained  a  considerable  sum  of  money.  Nick  was 
hardly  less  disturbed.  I  was  interested  enough  to 
run  all  the  way  to  the  pier,  and  work  myself  into 
the  centre  of  the  crowd  before  it  had  become  very 
compact. 

"  Dat's  jes  like  you,  Buckner,"  said  the  police- 
man, as  soon  as  he  could  obtain  breath  enough  to 
speak,  —  and  he  had  not  quite  enough  when  he 
did  speak.  "I  done  cotch  you  doin'  dat  same 
ting  before." 

"Doing  what  thing,  you"  black  spider?"  de- 
manded Buckner,  who  appeared  to  be  greatly 
astonished  at  his  arrest. 

"You  done  stole  someting,"  protested  the  guar- 
dian of  the  peace.  "What  did  you  run  for  if  you 
don't  steal  someting  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  steal  anything !  I  run  because  the 
rest  of  you  did,  to  find  out  what  the  matter  was," 
replied  Buckner,  stoutly.  "What  did  I  steal,  you 
black  Lazarus  ?  " 

"  Donno  what  you  'tole.  I  'pose  dis  gemman 
can  told  what  you  'tole,"  replied  the  policeman, 
turning  to  Peverell. 


28  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

"  He  stole  a  package  of  bank  bills  I  laid  on  the 
counter ;  that  is  what  he  stole  !  And  there  was 
four  thousand  dollars  in  the  package,  too,"  gasped 
the  messenger. 

"  Did  you  see  me  take  the  package  ?  "  demanded 
Buckner,  indignantly. 

"  I  did  not ;  but  you  were  the  only  person  that 
came  into  the  saloon  and  left  it  while  I  was  there," 
replied  Peverell ,  sharply ;  and  it  was  evident  that 
he  had  no  doubt  at  all  in  regard  to  the  guilty 
person. 

"  I  didn't  touch  your  package !  I  didn't  see 
any  package  !  I  didn't  go  near  you,  or  even  know 
you  were  in  the  saloon  ! "  protested  Buckner,  vehe- 
mently. "I'm  a  poor  man,  I  know,  and  it  is  hard 
enough  for  me  to  get  a  living ;  but  I  never  stole 
the  value  of  a  penny  in  my  life." 

"But  I  saw  him  take  it ! "  broke  in  Nick,  with 
almost  as  much  earnestness  as  Buckner  or  Pev- 
erell, though  he  had  no  special  interest  in  the  ani- 
mated discussion.  "The  moment  he  tried  to  get 
out  of  the  saloon,  I  jumped  over  the  counter  and 
went  for  him." 

"That's  so!"  added  Peverell,  with  increasing 
energy.  "  But  we  are  wasting  time.  Why  don't 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  29 

you  search  your  prisoner,  and  get  the  package? 
If  he  stole  it,  he  has  the  package  now." 

"  Search  me  as  much  as  you  like !  "  replied 
Buckner,  warmly. 

"Search  him!"  "  Overhaul  him  !"  "Clean  him 
out ! "  shouted  the  crowd,  who  were  working 
themselves  up  to  a  fever-heat  over  the  case. 

"He's  thrown  it  away  before  this  time,"  sug- 
gested Nick. 

"  He  couldn't  have  thrown  it  away  without  some 
one  seeing  him  do  it,"  replied  Peverell.  "Did 
any  one  see  him  throw  it  away  ?  " 

"  No  !  no  !  "  shouted  the  bystanders. 

I  had  seen  Buckner  running  down  the  middle 
of  the  narrow  street,  with  the  officer,  Nick,  Pev- 
erell, and  others,  within  a  few  feet  of  him.  It 
would  have  been  almost  impossible  for  him  to 
get  rid  of  the  bundle  in  any  way  without  being 
observed. 

"  He  might  have  thrown  it  into  the  river,"  again 
suggested  Nick. 

"He  done  don't  go  widin  twenty  yards  ob  de 
riber ;  and  he  done  don't  frow  no  package"  in  de 
riber  when  I  don't  see  him.  Dis  chile  hab  his 
four  eyes  open  all  tie  time,"  added  the  policeman. 


30  UP  THE  EIVER;  OR, 

"  Search  him  ! "  "  Turn  him  inside  out ! "  shouted 
the  crowd  again. 

"  Search  me  all  you  like  !  "  cried  Buckner,  pull- 
ing out  both  the  pockets  of  his  pants,  and  throw- 
ing up  his  arms  in  readiness  to  submit  to  the 
operation.  "I  haven't  got  the  package,  and  I 
never  saw  it." 

"How  big  was  de  package,  Mr.  Peverell?" 
asked  the  officer,  as  he  proceeded  to  examine  the 
clothing  of  the  prisoner. 

"It  was  the  size  of  a  bank-bill,  and  about 
two  inches  thick,"  replied  the  messenger,  very 
anxiously. 

"I  don't  find  noffin  like  dat  on  dis  yere  pris- 
onder,"  said  the  officer,  when  he  had  felt  his  man 
all  over. 

"You  won't  find  nothing  if  you  search  me  all 
day  and  all  night,"  protested  Buckner ;  and  there 
was  something  like  a  proud  dignity  in  his  manner, 
though  he  was  not  a  good-looking  man. 

But  it  is  possible  to  be  honest  without  being 
handsome  ;  and  rogues  assume  virtues  they  do  not 
possess.  Certainly,  the  valuable  package  was  not 
concealed  upon  the  person  of  Buckner.  The  only 
alternative  was,  that  he  had  thrown  it  away, — 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  31 

cast  it  into  some  hole,  or  pitched  it  into  the 
river. 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  this  is  the  man  that 
took  the  package  from  the  counter,  for  no  one 
else  came  near  me  while  I  was  in  the  saloon," 
reasoned  Peverell,  whose  vehemence  had  calmed 
down,  and  given  place  to  a  deep  anxiety." 

"I've  said  all  I  have  to  say,  and  you  can  do 
what  you  like  with  me ;  but  I  will  make  it  hot 
for  some  of  you  before  you  see  -the  end  of  this 
business,"  said  Buckner,  doggedly.  "I'm  a  poor 
man,  but  I'm  not  to  be  trodden  on,  any  more  than 
a  nigger  is  ! " 

By  this  time  the  crowd  had  scattered  to  make  a 
search  in  the  holes  and  in  the  water  for  the  miss- 
ing package. 

"What  were  you  doing  in  the  saloon ?"  asked 
the  messenger,  in  a  mild  tone. 

"  I  went  in  there  to  see  if  I  could  find  a  man  to 
help  me  take  up  a  couple  of  trunks  to  the  St. 
James,"  replied  Buckner.  "I  looked  into  the  nig- 
ger bar,  and  then  came  out.  I  saw  there  was  a 
man  at  the  front  bar ;  but  I  took  no  notice  of  him, 
and  didn't  see  any  package." 

"  Before  you  had  reached  the  door,  this  young 


32  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

man  had  jumped  over  the  counter,  and  was  chas- 
ing you.  He  was  sure  you  had  taken  the  pack- 
age ;  and  no  one  else  could  have  taken  it,"  added 
Peverell,  warming  up  again. 

"  But  I  didn't  take  it,  and  that 's  all  I  have  to 
say  about  it,"  answered  Buckner,  decidedly. 

"  I  saw  him  take  it ! "  repeated  Nick,  with  em- 
phasis. "  He  must  have  thrown  it  into  the  river." 

The  policeman  led  his  prisoner  away  to  the 
lockup,  while  all  the  rest  of  us  followed  up  the 
search  for  half  an  hour.  The  messenger  said 
the  bills  were  done  up  between  two  tin  slabs  of 
the  size  of  the  notes,  and  inclosed  in  brown  paper. 
Some  searched  on  the  pier,  and  some  went  out  in 
boats,  —  but  no  package  could  be  found.  The 
search  was  given  up,  and  I  went  back  to  the 
saloon  with  Nick  and  Peverell. 

Captain  Boomsby's  son  told  his  father  all  about 
the  affair  from  beginning  to  end.  He  was  putting 
the  whiskey-bottle  back  into  its  place  under  the 
counter,  when  he  heard  Buckner's  step  as  he  ap- 
proached the  front  door.  He  looked  up,  saw  that 
the  package  was  gone,  and  that  the  departing 
visitor  had  it.  "That  was  all  he  knew  about 
it." 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  33 

"But  you  said  you  saw  Buckner  take  it,"  said 
Peverell. 

"I  saw  him  take  it  out  of  the  saloon,"  replied 
Nick. 

The  circumstances  pointed  very  strongly,  to  say 
the  least,  to  Buckner  as  the  guilty  one.  I  had 
learned  all  I  wanted  to  know,  and  was  trying  to 
say  good-by  to  Captain  Boomsby,  when  Peeks, 
the  steward  of  the  Sylvania,  came  into  the  saloon 
with  a  telegraphic  dispatch  in  his  hand. 


34  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTER  III. 

ADIEU   TO    THE    BOOMSBYS. 

MR.  PEVERELL,  the  bank  messenger,  called 
at  the  saloon  on  his  way  back.  Doubtless 
he  was  not  a  little  concerned  about  meeting  the 
officers  of  the  bank,  after  the  loss  of  so  large  a  sum 
of  money.  By  this  time  they  had  heard  the  news, 
for  it  was  flying  all  over  the  city.  He  looked  very 
much  troubled,  as  well  he  might. 

"It  seems  very  strange  to  me,"  said  Peverell, 
after  he  had  discussed  the  robbery  for  a  while. 
"  Nobody  came  into  the  saloon  while  I  was  there 
but  Buckner.  I  saw  him  come  in,  but  I  took  no 
further  notice  of  him ;  and  I  hadn't  the  least  idea 
that  anything  was  wrong  till  I  saw  Nick  leap  over 
the  counter.  I  can't  see  how  anybody  else  could 
have  taken  the  package  ;  and  it  is  just  as  hard  to 
tell  what  became  of  it." 

"  I  haven't  the  least  doubt  but  what  he  threw  it 
into  the  river,"  added  Nick  Boomsby. 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  35 

"  I  don't  see  how  he  could  have  done  it  without 
anybody  seeing  him,"  replied  the  messenger. 
"  There  were  plenty  of  men  standing  about  the 
pier." 

"There  seems  to  be  something  the  matter  here," 
interposed  Peeks,  coming  up  to  me  at  this  mo- 
ment with  the  telegraphic  despatch  in  his  hand. 
"  I  am  sorry  to  disturb  you,  Captain  Alick." 

"  It  is  none  of  my  affairs,"  I  added,  hoping  the 
despatch  contained  no  bad  news  from  home. 

"  I  have  a  message  from  Detroit  informing  me 
that  my  father  is  very  sick,"  added  Peeks,  opening 
the  despatch.  w  My  mother  wants  me  to  come 
home  as  quick  as  I  can." 

"  I  am  sorry  your  news  is  so  bad,  Mr.  Peeks ; 
but  there  is  only  one  thing  for  a  son  to  do  in  such 
a  case,"  I  replied,  full  of  sympathy  for  our  stew- 
ard. "  I  hardly  know  how  I  shall  get  along  with- 
out you;  but  I  cannot  ask  you  to  remain  under 
such  circumstances." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  leave,  Captain  Alick,  especially 
for  such  a  reason.  My  health  has  been  entirely 
restored  by  this  cruise,  and  I  would  not  leave  you 
if  I  didn't  get  a  cent  for  my  work,  though  I  have 
been  well  and  promptly  paid.  My  father  has  con- 


36  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

siderable  property,  and  my  mother  is  old  and 
feeble.  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  be  able  to  join  you 
again,  for  if  my  father  dies,  as  the  doctors  say  he 
must,  I  shall  have  to  look  out  for  his  affairs  at 
home.  But  I  have  no  time  to  lose,  for  I  must 
take  the  train  for  the  North  this  afternoon." 

I  paid  him  the  balance  of  wages  due  him,  and 
we  parted  with  a  hearty  shake  of  hands.  His 
going  disturbed  me  not  a  little,  for  he  was  both 
skilful  and  faithful,  and  his  services  had  been  in- 
valuable, when  I  had  so  many  passengers  on  board 
the  Sylvania.  He  left  the  saloon,  and  for  some 
minutes  I  forgot  the  exciting  events  of  the  day. 

If  we  were  to  sail  on  our  next  cruise,  as  had 
been  arranged,  the  next  morning,  I  must  look  up  a 
competent  steward.  But  the  Florida  season  was 
over,  and  I  anticipated  no  trouble  in  finding  one. 

By  this  time  there  was  quite  a  crowd  collected 
in  the  saloon,  and  for  half  an  hour  longer  the  rob- 
bery was  talked  over.  Nothing  new  was  brought 
out.  Buckner  had  taken  the  package  from  the 
counter,  Nick  had  pursued  him,  and  the  money 
was  not  found.  They  could  not  get  beyond  these 
facts,  or  beyond  these  apparent  facts,  for  things 
are  not  always  as  they  seem. 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  37 

Peverell  left  when  he  found  lie  could  get  no 
further  in  his  investigation,  and  then  for  a  time 
there  was  a  lively  business  done  at  both  bars 
of  the  saloon.  The  negroes  had  come  into  the 
front  room  to  hear  what  was  said,  and  they  could 
not  leave  till  each  of  them  had  imbibed  all  the 
cheap  whiskey  he  could  get  into  one  of  Captain 
Boomsby's  thick-bottomed  tumblers.  Nick  was 
just  as  busy  at  the  front  bar.  I  could  not  help 
looking  at  him  as  he  dealt  out  the  dangerous  fluids 
—  doubly  dangerous  after  passing  through  Captain 
Boomsby's  hands.  I  doubted  whether  he  had  any 
ambition  to  become  anything  better  than  a  bar- 
tender. He  was  about  my  age,  but  not  half  so 
robust,  for,  being  an  only  son,  his  father  and 
mother  humored  him,  and  never  compelled  him  to 
do  anything  like  hard  work,  as  they  had  me. 

Nick  was  dressed  in  rather  cheap,  but  flashy, 
clothes,  and  wore  an  enormous  glass  diamond  in 
his  shirt  front.  At  the  present  time  he  seemed  to 
be  doing  his  dirty  work  in  a  very  mechanical  man- 
ner, as  though  he  were  thinking  of  something  else. 
He  had  to  ask  every  customer  twice  over  what  he 
wanted,  and  even  then  gave  him  the  wrong  bottle. 

But  the  rush  of  business  was  soon  over.  Captain 


38  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Boomsby  came  out  of  the  negro  bar,  and  Nick 
joined  him  in  the  rear  of  the  front  saloon.  The 
father  looked  at  the  son,  and  the  son  looked  at  the 
father,  and  then  both  of  them  looked  at  me,  as 
though  they  did  not  care  to  say  anything  in  my 
presence. 

"  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  go  to  court,  father," 
said  Nick,  "  and  I  guess  I  had  better  go  up  stairs 
and  slick  up  a  little." 

"  You  look  well  enough  as  you  be,"  replied  the 
elder  Boomsby. 

"  If  I  am  going  into  the  court,  I  want  my  best 
clothes  on.  Besides,  father,  you  said  I  might  go 
out  this  afternoon,"  replied  Nick,  who  evidently 
had  other  views  in  his  head  than  the  court. 
"  Mother  had  just  as  lief  tend  bar  this  afternoon  as 
not." 

"I  s'pose  she  had,  but  I  don't  want  her  in  the 
bar  when  I  can  help  it,"  added  the  captain,  whose 
marital  relations  had  become  decidedly  unpleasant, 
as  I  had  learned  from  observation. 

"Well,  Captain  Boomsby,  I  must  say  good-bye 
to  you  again,"  I  interposed,  not  caring  to  wait  for 
the  father  and  son  to  settle  the  question  between 
them. 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  39 

I  offered  my  hand  and  he  took  it ;  but  I  don't 
think  he  was  inclined  to  weep  at  my  departure.  I 
thought  that  Nick  looked  at  me  with  more  than 
usual  interest,  and  when  I  took  him  by  the  hand 
to  say  good-bye  to  him,  he  pressed  my  hand 
warmly.  Before,  when  I  had  met  him,  he  was 
hardly  disposed  to  speak  to  me  at  all.  He  and 
his  mother  kept  the  old  sores  open. 

"  I  have  never  been  on  board  of  your  steamer 
yet,  Captain  Alick,"  said  he,  with  a  sort  of  ghastly 
grin,  which  I  could  not  understand.  "  I  wanted 
to  get  out  this  afternoon  to  make  a  visit  to  her." 

"  She  can  be  seen  by  everybody  who  chooses  to 
visit  her,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  on  board 
of  her,"  I  replied.  "  All  hands  are  on  shore  now, 
except  Cobbington,  who  is  acting  as  ship-keeper. 
He  will  show  you  all  over  the  Sylvania,  if  I  am 
not  on  board." 

"  Where  are  you  going  from  here  in  her,"  asked 
Nick. 

"  We  shall  run  down  the  coast  of  Florida,  then 
across  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  then  up  the  Missis- 
sippi," I  replied. 

"I  wish  I  was  going  with  you,"  added  Nick. 

I  did  not  wish  he  was  going  with  me,  and  so  I 


40  UP  THE   RIVER  ;    OR, 

said  nothing.  I  had  taken  leave  of  the  captain  and 
his  son,  and  was  about  to  depart  when  Mrs.  Booms- 
by  came  into  the  saloon  from  the  front  entry. 

"  You  here,  Sandy,"  said  she,  bestowing  a  look 
of  disgust  upon  me. 

"  I  leave  early  to-morrow  morning,  and  I 
dropped  in  to  say  good-bye.  I  will  say  the  same 
to  you,  Mrs.  Boomsby,"  I  added,  moving  towards 
the  door. 

"You  needn't 'trouble  yourself  to  say  good-bye 
to  me,  for  sakes  knows  I  don't  keer  whether  I  ever 
see  you  again  or  not,"  replied  the  amiable  lady, 
with  a  frown  on  her  countenance  which  was  enough 
to  prevent  me  from  saying  anything  more.  I 
bowed  and  moved  towards  the  door. 

"I  s'pose  you  think  you  are  mighty  grand, 
sailin'  about  in  a  steam  yachet ;  but  you'll  come  to 
a  bad  end  yet,"  continued  Mrs.  Boomsby. 

That  was  just  what  her  husband  had  said  to  me, 
and  I  concluded  they  had  talked  the  matter  over 
again.  I  did  not  wait  to  hear  any  more.  I  entered 
the  saloon  on  a  friendly  mission ;  I  had  forgiven 
my  worst  enemies, — I  could  conceive  of  none 
worse  than  the  Boomsbys,  —  and  I  was  not  willing 
to  have  any  words  with  the  most  virulent  one  of  the 


YACHTING   ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  41 

family.  I  walked  out  of  the  saloon.  I  heard  some 
further  uncomplimentary  allusions  to  myself  as  I 
closed  the  door  behind  me;  but  I  believed  that 
was  the  last  I  should  ever  see  of  any  of  the  Booms- 
by  family. 

I  walked  up  to  Colonel  Shepard's  house,  and 
found  all  the  family,  as  well  as  Owen  there.  They 
were  evidently  engaged  in  the  discussion  of  some 
topic  of  interest  when  I  entered.  I  had  come  up 
to  press  their  acceptance  of  the  invitation  I  had 
given  them  to  continue  the  yachting  excursion  with 
me  up  the  Mississippi ;  but  before  I  had  time  to 
say  anything  about  it,  Owen  told  me  the  Shepards 
had  concluded  to  decline  the  invitation.  I  was 
rather  taken  aback  by  this  announcement,  for  the 
party  were  exceedingly  pleasant  company,  and  I 
knew  that  Margie  Tiffany  would  enjoy  being  with 
her  friend,  Edith  Shepard. 

"  You  have  treated  us  exceedingly  well,  Captain 
Alick,  on  board  of  the  Sylvania,  and  we  shall  all 
be  grateful  to  you  as  long  as  we  live,  for  all  the 
pleasure  you  have  afforded  us,"  said  Colonel 
Shepard. 

"I  shall  be  greatly  disappointed,  sir,  if  your 
family  do  not  go  with  us,"  I  answered,  wondering 


42  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

at  his  decision.  rf  We  can  accommodate  you  very 
well,  and  the  more  the  merrier,  you  know." 

"You  forget  that  I  am  the  owner  of  a  steam 
yacht  like  the  Sylvania,"  continued  Colonel  Shep- 
ard,  smiling.  "  I  expected  to  send  her  to  New 
York,  but  I  concluded  not  to  do  so  until  we  were 
ready  to  go  ourselves." 

"  I  knew  that  the  Islander  was  still  here,  and 
she  can  take  you  anywhere  you  wish  to  go  as 
comfortably  as  the  Sylvania  ;  but  I  should  be  very 
glad  to  have  you  continue  to  be  our  passengers." 

"  As  you  have  your  father  with  you  now,  I 
think  you  will  get  along  very  well  without  us," 
laughed  the  colonel.  "I  only  wish  I  had  you 
and  your  crew  to  run  the  Islander  for  me." 

"  Thank  you  ;  you  are  very  kind,  sir.  I  am 
afraid  we  shall  not  be  able  to  leave  the  Sylvania. 
But  where  are  you  going?  " 

"  It  is  still  an  open  question  whether  we  proceed 
directly  to  New  York,  cruise  awhile  in  the  vicinity 
of  Florida,  or  go  with  you.  I  am  not  quite  willing 
to  leave  the  State  until  I  have  pulled  in  a  few 
more  red-fish,  black  bass,  and  other  fish  such  as 
we  caught  in  Indian  River." 

"  I  suppose  you  don't  propose  to  take  Captain 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  43 

Boomsby  with  you  as  captain  of  the  Islander.  You 
remember  that  he  came  to  Florida  in  command  of 
her,"  I  added. 

ft  I  don't  propose  to  take  any  such  person.  I 
retain  the  captain  and  crew  I  engaged  to  take  the 
Islander  to  New  York,"  replied  Colonel  Shepard. 
"  Captain  Blastblow  has  seen  service  in  a  yacht, 
and  has  commanded  a  steamer." 

"I  have  no  doubt  he  is  entirely  competent." 

"  I  think  he  is,  or  I  would  not  trust  my  family  to 
his  care.  While  we  were  up  the  St.  Johns,  he  put 
the  Islander  in  first-rate  condition.  He  has  had 
her  boiler  and  machinery  overhauled,  and  declares 
she  has  the  best  engine  he  ever  saw  in  a  steamer. 
I  went  down  to  see  her  as  soon  as  we  arrived.  He 
has  engaged  a  steward,  waiters,  and  others,  and  I 
think  we  shall  be  ready  to  sail  as  soon  as  you  are," 
continued  the  colonel. 

"  We  are  off  early  to-morrow  morning,"  I  added. 

"  Captain  Blastblow  told  me  at  noon  he  should 
be  ready  to  sail  to-night.  I  expect  a  letter  to-day 
from  New  York,  and  that  will  enable  me  to  decide 
where  we  go." 

I  soon  took  my  leave,  for  I  had  to  engage  a 
steward  before  night.  I  was  amazed  at  the  de- 


44  UP   THE   RIVER  ;    OR, 

cision  of  Colonel  Shepard,  and  I  could  not  help 
thinking  he  had  some  motive  for  his  course  which 
did  not  appear  on  the  surface.  I  decided  to  call 
upon  my  father  on  my  'way  to  the  wharf,  for  he 
was  staying  at  the  Carlton  with  the  Tiffanys.  I 
had  gone  but  a  few  steps  before  Owen  caught  up 
with  me. 

"  I  want  you  to  understand,  Alick,  that  I  am 
not  concerned  in  this  business,"  said  he,  in  a 
deprecatory  tone.  "  I  had  no  idea  what  the  colonel 
intended  to  do  until  I  went  to  his  house  this  after- 
noon." 

"  O,  I  don't  blame  you  for  it,  Owen,"  I  replied. 

"  But  I  think  they  would  have  gone  with  us  if  I 
had  held  the  charter  of  the  vessel  as  before,"  he 
added. 

"  I  think  that  need  make  no  difference.  I  sup- 
pose you  will  go  in  the  Islander  now,"  I  continued, 
laughing,  for  I  did  not  think  he  would  be  able  to 
break  away  from  Miss  Edith. 

"  I  don't  know,  Alick.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  have 
had  no  invitation  to  go  in  the  Islander ;  and  with- 
out one  I  surely  shall  not  go  in  her." 

This  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  little  odd,  and  I  was 
thinking  of  it  when  we  came  to  the  Carlton,  where 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  45 

I  found  my  father  on  the  piazza.  We  told  him 
the  whole  story.  To  my  astonishment,  he  said  he 
was  glad  to  hear  it.  I  told  him  Owen  had  no  in- 
vitation to  go  in  the  Islander. 

"And  he  will  have  none,"  added  my  father, 
bluntly.  "  Owen,  if  you  accept  any  such  invita- 
tion, should  one  be  given,  the  Sylvania  will  part 
company  with  the  Islander  as  soon  as  we  get  out 
of  the  river." 

"  That  is  very  odd,  uncle  Bent,"  answered 
Owen. 

"I  have  a  very  great  respect  for  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Shepard  ;  and  what  he  has  done,  probably  by 
the  counsel  of  his  wife,  removes  the  only  doubt 
I  had  of  him.  Owen,  you  are  a  perfect  spoon ! 
It  is  not  quite  proper  that  you  and  Miss  Edith 
should  be  spooning  all  the  time,  night  and  clay ; 
and  to  my  mind,  Colonel  Shepard  has  decided  to 
go  in  his  own  yacht  to  prevent  this  thing,  as  well 
as  to  retain  his  own  self-respect.  I  dare  say  he  is 
no  longer  willing  to  be  the  guests,  with  his  whole 
family,  of  Alick  or  yourself.  That's  the  whole  of 
it.  It  is  better  for  you  to  visit  the  young  lady 
occasionally  than  to  spend  weeks  or  months  with 
her  in  a  little  steam-yacht." 


46  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

I  thought  my  father  was  rather  severe  upon  my 
cousin,  and  I  determined  to  speak  to  him  about 
the  matter  when  we  were  alone.  I  told  my  father 
that  Peeks  had  been  obliged  to  leave,  and  that  I 
must  look  up  a  steward  at  once. 

He  told  me  I  need  not  go  far  to  find  one,  and 
recommended  me  to  give  the  place  to  Cobbington. 
I  had  not  thought  of  such  a  thing,  and  I  hastened 
on  board  to  consider  the  matter. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  47 


CHAPTER   IV. 

NICK   BOOMSBY  HAS   ASPIRATIONS. 

WHEN  I  reached  Market  Wharf  I  found 
that  the  Islander  had  hauled  out  into  the 
stream  from  the  wharf  where  she  had  been  under- 
going repairs.  Captain  Blastblow  had  certainly 
done  his  work  well.  The  twin  sister  of  the  Syl- 
vania  had  been  painted,  and  she  looked  as  though 
she  had  just  come  out  of  the  ship-yard  for  the  first 
time.  She  was  moored  off  the  yacht-club  house, 
and  the  American  flag  was  flying  at  her  peak,  as 
though  she  had  just  gone  into  commission. 

I  earnestly  hoped  that  Colonel  Shepard  would 
conclude  to  make  the  trip  up  the  Mississippi,  for  I 
was  very  confident  we  should  enjoy  yachting  on 
the  great  river  much  more  in  company  with  the 
Islander,  and  the  pleasant  party  on  board  of  her, 
than  we  could  alone. 

I  took  a  shore  boat  to  board  the  Sylvania,  for  as 
this  was  our  last  chance  on  shore  for  the  present, 


48  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

all  hands  had  been  allowed  to  spend  the  day  in  the 
city.  Cobhington  declared  that  he  did  not  care 
to  see  any  more  of  the  city,  where  he  had  passed 
so  many  miserable  days,  and  had  volunteered  to 
remain  on  board  as  ship-keeper. 

Miles  Cobbington  had  come  to  the  south  as  an 
invalid,  and  having  no  means,  he  had  picked  up  a 
precarious  living  by  hunting,  fishing,  and  doing 
such  odd  jobs  of  work  as  he  could  find.  When  I 
came  across  him  he  was  hungry,  and  without 
a  place  to  lay  his  head.  With  good  living  on 
board  the  Sylvania,  and  with  his  mind  relieved  of 
all  anxiety  about  his  daily  food  and  shelter,  he  had 
picked  up  wonderfully  during  the  month  of  our 
trip  up  the  river. 

"  Well,  Miles,  how  do  you  get  on?"  I  asked  as  I 
ascended  the  gangway. 

"  First-rate,  Captain  Garningham.  I  haven't  been 
so  happy  for  years  as  I  am  now,"  he  replied  with 
a  cheerful  smile.  "  I  begin  to  think  I  may  live  for 
some  years  yet." 

"I  hope  you  will  live  for  many  years  yet,"  I  re- 
plied. "  Mr.  Peeks  has  been  on  board  this  after- 
noon, has  he  not?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  am  very  sorry  to  have  him  leave 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  49 

for  such  a  reason,"  said  Cobbington,  with  a  look 
of  genuine  sympathy. 

"  I  believe  he  attended  to  putting  all  our  pro- 
visions and  stores  on  board." 

"  Yes,  captain  ;  we  stowed  away  everything  last 
night,  and  we  are  ready  to  leave  as  soon  as  you 
give  the  word." 

"We  can't  go  without  a  steward,"  I  added, 
glancing  at  Cobbington  to  see  if  I  could  find  any 
suggestion  in  his  face.  But  he  looked  entirely  blank. 

"  The  steamers  here  are  hauling  off,  now,  and  I 
should  say  you  would  have  no  difficulty  in  finding 
one,"  he  replied. 

"Do  you  think  you  can  readily  find  another 
good  waiter  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  could  find  a  hundred  of  them  in  half  an 
hour,"  he  replied. 

"Then  I  wish  you  to  find  one  as  soon  as  the 
crew  come  on  board.  I  want  one  to  take  your 
place  in  the  fore-cabin." 

"  To  take  my  place !  "  exclaimed  Cobbington, 
looking  aghast  at  me.  "Then  you  are  going  to 
discharge  me.  What  have  I  done  ?  " 

"You  have  done  lots  of  things,  and  done  them 
well.  You  will  take  Mr.1  Peeks's  place  as  steward, 


50  UP  THE  KIVER;  OR, 

at  the  same  wages  he  received,"  I  replied,  unwill- 
ing to  hurt  his  feeling  a  moment  longer. 

"  Thank  you,  Captain  Garningham,"  added  Cob- 
bington,  his  thin  face  suddenly  wreathed  in  smiles. 
"  I  suppose  you  understand  what  you  are  doing, 
captain." 

"  I  think  I  do ;  but  I  will  add  that  it  was  my 
father  who  suggested  your  name  for  the  position." 

"I  am  very  grateful  to  him  for  doing  so,  and  to 
you  for  giving  me  the  place.  I  think  I  can  do  the 
work  to  your  satisfaction,  for  I  have  had  consider- 
able experience  in  this  sort  of  business." 

I  gave  him  such  directions  as  he  needed,  and 
then  called  a  shore  boat.  As  the  Islander  was 
likely  to  be  our  consort  during  the  whole,  or  a 
part,  of  the  cruise  up  the  Mississippi,  I  thought 
I  would  pay  her  a  visit,  and  become  better  ac- 
quainted with  her  officers.  My  uniform  procured 
me  a  ready  recognition  on  her  deck.  Captain 
Blastblow  was  a  man  of  forty,  with  a  bald  head 
and  red  whiskers.  He  treated  me  very  politely, 
though  I  thought  I  could  see  something  like  con- 
tempt in  his  manner,  possibly  at  the  idea  of  a 
young  fellow  like  me  presuming  to  hold  a  position 
equal  to  his  own. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  5.1 

The  captain  took  considerable  pains  to  bring  it 
into  the  conversation  that  he  had  been  a  seaman  all 
his  life,  that  he  had  come  on  board  through  the 
hawse  hole,  and  had  not  crawled  in  at  the  cabin 
window.  He  made  a  slurring  remark  about  fresh- 
water sailors,  and  informed  me  that  he  had  been 
around  Cape  Horn  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
He  had  been  an  ensign  in  the  navy  during  "  the 
late  unpleasantness,"  and  had  served  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  in  the  blockade  fleet. 

"When  do  you  sail,  Captain  Blastblow?"  I 
inquired. 

"I  don't  know:  but  I  have  my  orders  to  be 
ready  to  go  at  a  moment's  warning  at  any  time 
after  daylight  to-morrow  morning,"  replied  the 
captain  of  the  Islander. 

These  instructions  seemed  to  be  entirely  con- 
sistent with  what  Colonel  Shepard  had  said,  that 
his  departure  and  destination  depended  upon  the 
letters  he  expected  to  receive  by  the  afternoon 
mail.  I  looked  over  the  steamer,  and  found  her 
as  neat  as  a  new  pin  in  every  part.  The  officers 
and  crew  had  put  on  a  new  uniform,  and  I  found 
that  they  had  steam  up  on  board. 

I  found  no  one  that  I  knew  on  her  deck,  and  the 


52  TIP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

captain  introduced  me  to  the  mate,  the  engineers, 
and  the  steward.  I  thought  there  was  a  little 
irony  in  his  words  as  he  did  so ;  but  I  took  no 
notice  of  this  circumstance.  I  could  see  that  he 
believed  he  was  a  thoroughly  competent  captain, 
and  that  he  had  some  doubts  in  regard  to  my 
ability  to  fill  the  position  I  occupied  on  board  of 
the  Sylvania.  I  was  willing  that  the  future  should 
settle  all  such  questions ;  but  I  had  the  vanity  to 
believe,  though  I  did  not  say  so,  that  I  could 
handle  the  Sylvania  as  well  as  he  could  the 
Islander. 

We  parted  as  the  best  of  friends  should  part, 
and  when  I  had  seated  myself  in  the  boat,  I  could 
not  help  thinking  I  should  like  to  see  him  handle 
his  vessel  in  such  a  storm  as  I  had  seen  on  Lake 
Superior.  In  a  few  moments  I  was  landed  on 
Market  Wharf,  and  walked  up  to  the  post-office  to 
inquire  if  there  were  any  letters  for  me.  I  learned 
that  the  northern  mail  had  not  arrived.  It  was 
often  several  hours  behind  time,  for  the  railroads 
in  Florida  were  in  very  bad  condition. 

Colonel  Shepard  was  there,  very  impatient  at 
the  non-arrival  of  his  letters.  He  told  me,  if  he 
had  to  go  to  New  York,  he  should  sail  in  the 


YACHTING   ON   THE  MISSISSIPPI.  53 

Islander  on  the  next  tide.  If  his  business  did  not 
call  him  north  at  once,  he  should  sail  with  us  the 
next  morning. 

The  colonel  went  over  to  the  Carlton,  and  I  was 
about  to  go  with  him,  when  Nick  Boomsby  came 
up  to  me.  He  was  dressed  in  his  best  clothes, 
and  he  was  as  good  a  representative  of  the  idiotic 
swell  as  I  had  ever  met. 

"When  do  you  sail,  Captain  Alick?"  he  asked, 
as  though  the  question  was  one  of  vital  importance 
to  him  personally. 

"To-morrow  morning,  about  seven  o'clock,  un- 
less some  change  is  made  in  the  arrangements,"  I 
replied,  wondering  what  possible  interest  he  could 
have  in  the  sailing  of  the  steamer. 

"Alick,  you  and  I  were  always  good  friends," 
he  continued. 

"  Not  always,  though  I  don't  mind  that  now,"  I 
added,  not  willing  that  the  exact  truth  should  be 
sacrificed,  even  by  my  silence. 

*'  I  am  getting  a  little  tired  of  this  place,  and  I 
want  to  be  out  of  it.  I  know  we  didn't  always 
agree  when  we  were  little  children ;  but  I  don't 
believe  you  think  of  these  things  now." 

"  I  have  not  the  least  ill-will  towards  you,  Nick." 


54  UP  THE  RIVER  ;  OR, 

"  I  am  right  glad  to  hear  you  say  so.  The  old 
man  never  will  let  up  on  you,  I  suppose.  But  I 
told  him  he  was  a  fool,  and  that  he  had  better  let 
you  alone." 

Perhaps  it  was  good  advice,  but  I  did  not  be- 
lieve he  ever  gave  it  to  his  father,  though  he  was 
capable  of  any  disrespect.  I  waited  to  learn  what 
he  was  driving  at,  though  the  fact  that  he  had  said 
he  wished  he  was  going  with  me  on  the  cruise 
came  to  my  mind  in  this  connection. 

"  I  am  tired  of  the  sort  of  life  I  am  leading," 
continued  Nick. 

"  I  don't  blame  you,"  I  added,  with  the  utmost 
sincerity,  though  I  had  not  supposed  he  had  any 
soarings  above  the  sphere  of  a  bar-tender. 

"What  can  I  do?  The  old  man  won't  let  me 
do  anything  else  beside  tend  bar.  It  is  mean 
business,  and  I'm  bound  to  get  out  of  it." 

I  thought  Nick's  view  of  the  situation  was  very 
commendable,  though  I  did  not  see  how  he  was  to 
break  away  from  his  father,  if  the  latter  was  not 
willing  he  should  do  so. 

"The  only  way  I  can  do  it  is  to  run  away," 
added  Nick. 

"  I  can't  advise  you  to  do  that,"  I  replied. 


YACHTING   ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  55 

"  I  am  eighteen  years  old,  and  I  am  able  to  take 
care  of  myself.  The  old  man  don't  give  me  any 
wages,  and  it's  hard  work  for  me  to  get  a  suit  of 
clothes  out  of  him  when  I  need  it.  Which  would 
you  rather  do  if  you  were  in  my  place,  —  sell 
whiskey,  and  very  likely  become  a  drunkard  your- 
self, or  run  away,  and  become  an  honest  and  re- 
spectable man?" 

It  was  a  hard  question,  and  I  declined  to  answer 
it,  for  I  was  unwilling  to  be  responsible  to  any 
degree  for  anything  that  Nick  Boomsby  might  do. 
I  knew  him  too  well. 

"  If  you  will  take  me  to  New  Orleans  on  your 
steamer,  I  will  work  my  passage,  and  be  everlast- 
ingly obliged  to  you  besides,"  persisted  Nick, 
coming  all  at  once  to  the  point. 

"  No,  Nick,  I  shall  not  do  anything  to  provoke 
your  father,  or  give  him  just  cause  to  complain  of 
me.  So  far  as  your  leaving  your  present  business 
is  concerned,  you  must  settle  that  for  yourself,"  I 
replied,  firmly. 

I  refused  all  his  entreaties  to  be  allowed  to  go  in 
the  Sylvania.  I  told  him  that  the  relation  be- 
tween his  father  and  myself  would  not  permit  me 
to  do  anything  to  assist  him.  lie  seemed  to  be 


56  -UP    THE    EIVER  ;    OR, 

reconciled  to  my  decision,  and  was  as  pleasant  as 
possible.  He  asked  me  about  the  Islander,  and  I 
told  him  all  I  knew  about  her.  I  inquired  what 
had  been  done  about  the  robbery.  Nothing  more 
had  been  done,  but  everybody  was  satisfied  that 
Buckner  was  the  guilty  person,  and  the  police 
were  still  searching  for  the  missing  package. 
Nick  was  going  on  board  of  the  Sylvania  next, 
and  I  wrote  on  a  card  a  request  to  Cobbington  to 
show  him  over  the  vessel. 

While  we  were  talking  the  mail  arrived.  Colonel 
Shepard  rushed  to  the  post-office,  and  I  was  talk- 
ing to  him  while  the  mail  was  in  process  of  sorting 
and  distribution.  Nick  stood  by  me  all  the  time, 
and  listened  to  all  that  we  were  saying.  At  last 
Colonel  Shepard  received  his  letters.  He  opened 
one  of  them  with  feverish  haste. 

"All  right !  I  go  with  you,  Captain  Alick  ! "  ex- 
claimed the  colonel,  evidently  as  much  delighted 
as  a  child  would  have  been.  "I  will  follow  you 
up  the  Mississippi.  What  time  do  you  sail,  Cap- 
tain Alick?" 

"At  seven;  that  will  bring  us  to  the  bar  at 
about  the  right  time,"  I  replied. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI,  57 

"  I  must  send  word  on  board  to  Captain  Blast- 
blow  to  be  ready  at  that  time." 

The  colonel  appeared  to  be  searching  his  pock- 
ets for  a  piece  of  paper,  and  I  handed  him  one  of 
my  blank  cards.  He  wrote  something  on  it,  and 
intimated  that  he  wanted  to  find  some  one  by 
whom  he  could  send  it  on  board  of  the  Islander. 

"  I  am  just  going  on  board  of  the  Sylvania,  and 
I  will  leave  it  on  board  of  the  Islander  as  I  pass 
her,"  interposed  Nick. 

Colonel  Shepard  asked  me  if  I  knew  the  young 
man,  and  I  told  him  I  did.  He  gave  him  the 
card,  and  Nick  hastened  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
boat-club  building.  I  wondered  if  he  was  not 
intending  to  look  for  a  passage  to  New  Orleans  in 
the  Islander.  It  was  not  impossible,  and  I  deter- 
mined that  my  late  passengers  should  not  be 
burdened  with  his  company. 

I  went  to  the  Carlton,  and  found  that  my  pas- 
sengers had  decided  not  to  go  on  board  of  the 
Sylvania  till  the  next  morning,  and  had  ordered 
an  early  breakfast.  There  was  to  be  some  sort 
of  a  social  occasion  in  the  parlors  that  evening, 
and  my  father  and  his  friends  wished  to  be  present. 


58  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

I  went  on  board  of  the  steamer.  On  my  way  I 
looked  in  at  the  window  of  Captain  Boomsby's 
saloon,  and  saw  that  Nick  was  there  peddling  out 
whiskey  to  thirsty  customers.  He  had  not  con- 
cealed himself  on  board  of  the  Islander ;  and  I 
had  told  Colonel  Shepard  to  be  on  the  look-out  in 
the  morning,  to  assure  himself  that  he  had  no 
more  passengers  than  he  wanted.  I  was  quite 
sure  I  had  blocked  Nick's  wheels,  so  far  as 
running  away  in  either  of  the  steam-yachts  was 
concerned. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  59 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    STRANGE   MOVEMENT   OF   THE   ISLANDER. 


had  engaged  the  additional 
waiter.  His  name  was  Reel  Bendick,  as  he 
spelled  it  out  to  me  ;  and  he  seemed  to  be  an  in- 
telligent and  docile  man.  He  was  to  wait  on  the 
table  in  the  fore-cabin,  while  Tom  Sands  was  to 
continue  in  the  after-cabin,  where  he  had  always 
been  assisted  by  the  steward,  and  on  great  occa- 
sions by  Washington  Gopher,  the  accomplished 
cook  who  had  come  all  the  way  from  Detroit. 

With  these  exceptions  our  crew  remained  the 
same  as  before. 

Since  our  return  from  up  the  St.  Johns,  every- 
thing about  the  Sylvania  had  been  put  in  perfect 
order  for  sea.  Moses  Brickland,  the  engineer,  had 
overhauled  the  machinery  and  the  boiler,  and  we 
had  a  full  supply  of  coal  in  the  bunkers.  I  went 
all  over  the  vessel,  and  assured  myself  that  every- 
thing was  in  order. 


60  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  I  suppose  there  is  no  doubt  about  our  leaving 
in  the  morning,  is  there,  Captain  Alick?"  asked 
Bob  Washburn,  the  mate,  as  we  seated  ourselves 
in  the  captain's  cabin,  after  we  had  both  been  all 
over  the  deck  and  the  cabins. 

"  Of  course  I  don't  know  anything  more  about 
that  than  you  do,  but  I  think  there  cannot  be 
much  doubt  of  it,"  I  replied.  "  We  shall  have  no 
passengers  but  my  father,  the  Tiffanys,  and  my 
cousin." 

"Does  Owen  Garningham  go  with  us,  Alick?" 
asked  Washburn,  with  astonishment. 

"  He  told  me  this  afternoon  he  had  no  invitation 
to  go  in  the  Islander,  and  my  father  said  he  would 
have  none,"  I  replied. 

"  Then  your  father  thinks  there  has  been  too  much 
spooning  on  board,"  added  Washburn,  laughing. 

"Probably  Colonel  Shepard  thinks  so  too,  and 
that  may  be  the  reason  why  he  decided  to  go  in  the 
Islander  instead  of  in  the  Sylvania." 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  better  to  separate 
Owen  and  Miss  Edith  until  each  shall  have  a 
chance  to  make  up  his  mind." 

"  Owen  seems  to  be  very  much  attached  to  Miss 
Edith,  and  their  being  together  all  the  time  may 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  61 

result  in  something  very  serious.  He  is  a  young 
fellow  of  twenty,  and  I  doubt  if  he  knows  his  own 
mind  ;  he  is  fascinated  by  a  pretty  face." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  that ;  and  the  face  is  as 
pretty  a  one  as  I  ever  saw,"  added  Washburn,  with 
emphasis. 

"My  father  says  Owen's  mother  is  very  rich, 
and  that  she  is  more  afraid  he  will  fall  into  some 
entangling  alliance  of  this  sort,  than  she  is  of  his 
becoming  a  drunkard,  or  becoming  a  bad  man,"  I 
continued,  recalling  some  of  the  conversations  my 
father  had  had  with  me. 

"They  say  Colonel  Shepard  is  rich  enough  to 
satisfy  even  an  English  nabob,"  suggested  the  mate. 

"  I  suppose  Owen's  mother  expects  him  to  marry 
a  duchess,"  I  replied.  "I  saw  her  when  I  was  in 
England ;  but  she  had  no  love  for  me,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  she  wished  I  had  never  turned  up." 

"  I  should  say  that  Edith  Shepard  was  good 
enough  for  any  fellow,  even  if  he  were  an  earl  or 
a  duke,"  said  Washburn,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

"Luckily  it  is  none  of  our  aflair,  though  my 
sympathies  are  all  with  Owen,"  I  added.  "  I  won- 
der if  Nick  Boomsby  came  on  board  this  after- 
noon," I  continued,  willing  to  change  the  subject. 


62  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

I  called  Cobbington  into  our  room,  and  was 
informed  that  Nick  had  been  on  board,  and  had 
been  treated  with  distinguished  consideration. 

"Did  he  say  anything  about  going  with  us,  Cob- 
bington ?  "  I  asked. 

"He  only  said  he  should  like  to  go  with  us,  but 
you  would  not  allow  him  to  do  so,  and  he  had 
given  up  all  thought  about  it,"  replied  the  new 
steward.  "  Besides,  he  said  he  was  the  important 
witness  in  a  law-case  that  would  come  up  to- 
morrow morning." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  would  stay  for  the  law-case 
if  I  would  give  him  a  berth  on  board,"  I  added. 

I  related  the  particulars  of  the  robbery  of  the 
messenger,  and  Cobbington  commented  on  them  at 
some  length.  I  found  that  he  knew  the  messenger, 
and  had  not  a  very  high  respect  for  him.  He  had 
his  doubts  whether  there  was  any  four  thousand 
dollars  in  the  transaction.  It  looked  more  to  him 
as  though  the  messenger  had  arranged  the  affair  so 
that  he  could  appropriate  the  money  to  his  own 
use.  Cobbington  had  worked  with  Buckner,  who 
was  a  poor  man,  and  had  come  to  Florida,  like 
himself,  to  save  his  life. 

"  Why   did  Nick  jump  over  the  counter,  and 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  63 

chase  Buckner,  then?  Nick  says  he  saw  Buckner 
take  the  package  from  the  counter,  and  run  out  at 
the  front  door,"  I  added. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  the  matter,  except 
that  I  would  trust  Buckner  farther  than  I  would 
Peverell,"  persisted  the  steward.  "A  bank  mes- 
senger that  means  to  be  honest  don't  go  into  a  bar- 
room and  put  four  thousand  dollars  down  on  the 
counter ;  not  every  day  in  the  week,  at  least.  I 
don't  believe  Buckner  took  the  package  ;  if  he  had 
it  would  have  been  found  on  him  when  the  police- 
man caught  him." 

We  could  not  get  ahead  any  further  than  those 
on  shore  had  in  solving  the  mysterious  disappear- 
ance of  the  treasure.  At  an  early  hour  I  turned 
in,  and  Washburn  soon  followed  me.  After  dark 
I  cautioned  the  anchor-watch  not  to  let  any  person 
come  on  board.  I  was  afraid  that  Nick  Boomsby 
would  try  to  become  a  stowaway  on  board  of  the 
steamer,  and  thus  give  his  father  an  additional 
grudge  against  me.  But  I  soon  went  to  sleep  and 
forgot  all  about  Nick. 

I  was  up  at  five  in  the  morning.  Before  I 
washed  my  face  and  made  my  toilet,  I  went  on 
deck  to  take  a  look  at  the  weather,  as  I  generally 


64  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

did  at  sea,  or  when  we  were  on  the  point  of  sail- 
ing. It  was  cloudy  and  thick ;  but  I  thought  it 
probable  that  it  would  clear  off  as  the  day  ad- 
vanced. The  smoke  was  pouring  out  of  the 
smoke-stack  of  the  Islander,  as  well  as  of  the 
Sylvania.  If  the  weather  was  not  bad  enough 
to  make  me  think  of  delaying  our  departure, 
it  was  still  not  so  pleasant  as  I  desired  for  a 
start. 

I  dressed  myself,  and  looked  the  vessel  over 
again.  Our  party  would  breakfast  before  they 
came  on  board,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  yet  but 
look  after  ourselves.  At  six  o'clock  we  took  our 
morning  meal.  As  soon  as  it  was  cleared  away,  I 
ordered  the  anchor  up,  and  we  ran  in  to  Market 
Wharf  to  take  on  board  our  passengers. 

Before  we  reached  the  wharf  I  saw  a  boat  board 
the  Islander ;  but  she  was  too  far  off  for  me  to 
determine  who  was  in  the  craft.  It  was  still  only 
half-past-six,  and  I  did  not  expect  our  passengers 
for  half  an  hour  or  more.  I  went  on  shore  to 
walk  through  the  market.  It  seemed  very  odd  to 
me  to  find  all  sorts  of  green  things,  such  as  green 
peas,  cucumbers,  spinach,  new  turnips,  carrots, 
and  most  other  vegetables,  which  I  had  not  been 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  65 

in  the  habit  of  seeing  till  July  and  August.  But 
we  had  been  eating  such  things,  including  straw- 
berries, for  a  month,  and  many  of  them  all  winter 
in  the  West  Indies. 

"The  Islander  is  under  way,"  said  Washburn, 
as  I  sauntered  along  the  wharf. 

"  Probably  she  is  going  to  run  in  for  her  pas- 
sengers, as  we  have  done,"  I  replied. 

"  She  don't  seem  to  be  headed  for  the  wharf, 
but  down  the  river,"  added  the  mate. 

I  went  on  board,  and  then  to  the  hurricane 
deck,  where  I  could  obtain  a  good  view  of  her. 
I  was  confident  that  her  passengers  had  not  gone 
on  board  of  her,  for  we  had  seen  nothing  but  a  boat 
with  two  persons  in  it  go  alongside  the  Islander. 
The  party  consisted  of  four  persons,  and  two  of 
them  were  ladies.  They  could  not  have  gone  on 
board  of  her  without  our  seeing  them. 

"  It  don't  look  as  though  she  was  running  in  to  a 
wharf,"  said  Washburn,  joining  me  on  the  hurricane 
deck. 

"  Very  likely  she  is  taking  a  little  run  down  the 
river  so  that  her  new  captain  can  see  how  she 
works,"!  added,  without  a  suspicion  that  anything 
was  wrong  about  our  twin  sister.  "  It  isn't  seven 


66  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

yet,  and  she  is  taking  a  little  turn  before  she  goes 
up  to  the  wharf." 

"  Of  course  it  is  all  right,"  replied  Washburn. 
"Her  captain  is  as  salt  as  a  barrel  of  brine,  and 
knows  all  about  steamers." 

We  waited  fifteen  minutes  longer,  till  I  heard  a 
clock  strike  seven,  but  the  Islander  continued  on 
her  course  down  the  river.  I  knew  she  had  been 
ordered  to  be  ready  to  sail  at  seven,  and  I  did  not 
suppose  Captain  Blastblow  would  willingly  fail  to 
be  on  time.  While  I  was  watching  the  movements 
of  our  consort,  the  baggage  of  our  party  arrived  at 
the  end  of  the  wharf,  and,  a  few  minutes  later,  a 
carriage  came  bringing  our  passengers. 

I  had  no  more  time  to  study  the  affairs  of  the 
Islander.  My  father,  Mr.  Tiffany  and  Miss  Margie 
were  in  the  carriage,  and  I  was  permitted  to  help 
the  young  lady  out,  and  escort  her  to  the  deck. 
I  was  a  little  afraid  of  my  father  calling  me  a 
"spoon, "and  I  was  careful  not  to  overdo  myself  in 
politeness. 

"How  long  before  you  sail,  Captain  Alick?" 
asked  my  fair  companion. 

"Immediately,"  I  replied.  "The  Islander  has 
already  gone,  but  I  think  she  must  return." 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  67 

"May  I  go  into  the  pilot-house,  captain?  " 

"Certainly;  I  shall  be  delighted  to  have  you 
there." 

"  How  much  I  shall  miss  Edith !  "  exclaimed 
Miss  Margie,  as  I  gave  her  the  best  seat  in  the 
pilot-house.  "  I  think  it  is  a  great  pity  that  we 
could  not  all  go  together  in  the  same  steamer."  . 

"I  should  have  been  very  glad  to  have  the 
Shepards  on  board,"  I  replied.  "I  suppose 
Colonel  Shepard  prefers  to  sail  in  his  own 
yacht,  as  I  think  I  should  if  I  were  in  his 
place.  But  we  shall  be  within  hail  of  each  other 
most  of  the  time,  and  you  can  visit  Miss  Edith 
about  every  day  after  we  get  into  the  Mississippi 
River." 

"I  am  told  the  Mississippi  is  a  very  large  river," 
mused  Miss  Margie.  "Can  you  see  across  it, 
Captain  Alick?" 

"  No  doubt  of  it,"  I  answered,  laughing.  "  It  is 
not  more  than  a  mile  wide,  as  a  rule.  You  must 
be  thinking  of  the  Amazon,  which  is  a  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  wide  near  its  mouth.  Vessels  must 
get  out  of  sight  of  land  in  crossing  it,  near  the 
ocean." 

"We  are  all  on  board,  Alick,  except  Owen," 


68  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

said  my  father,  coming  into  the  pilot-house.  "  He 
should  not  keep  us  waiting." 

"Perhaps  he  has  decided  to  go  in  the  other 
steamer,"  I  suggested. 

But  I  had  hardly  spoken  the  words  before 
Owen  came  on  board.  He  did  not  seem  to  be  in 
despair  at  his  separation  from  his  "bright  par- 
ticular star,"  and  was  in  excellent  humor  when  he 
joined  us  in  the  pilot-house. 

"  Where  are  the  rest  of  your  party,  Owen  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  Merciful  hotandsplosh !  Haven't  you  found 
out  yet  that  they  are  going  on  the  Islander?" 
demanded  Owen. 

"  I  haven't  seen  them  go  on  board  of  her  yet," 
I  added. 

"They  took  a  carriage  to  the  wharf  near  the 
boat-house,  and  I  took  one  to  come  here,"  replied 
Owen.  "  They  must  be  on  board  of  her  by  this 
time." 

"I  think  not.  The  Islander  has  gone  down  the 
river,"  I  answered,  as  I  ordered  the  fasts  to  be 
cast  off. 

I  backed  the  Sylvania  on  the  stern  line  to  clear 
her  from  the  wharf,  and  then  rang  to  go  ahead. 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  69 

Our  voyage  around  Florida  had  actually  begun, 
and  I  was  duly  exhilarated  by  the  fact.  The 
Islander  had  gone  around  the  bend  of  the  river, 
and  I  could  see  only  her  masts  and  rigging.  The 
wind  was  blowing  fresh  from  the  southwest,  and  I 
was  not  a  little  astonished  to  see  that  her  crew 
were  shaking  out  her  fore-topsail.  This  did  not 
indicate  that  her  captain  intended  to  return  to  the 
wharf  for  his  passengers. 

"Colonel  Shepard  and  his  family  must  have 
gone  on  board  of  her  at  least  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
before  seven,  Owen,"  I  said,  unable  to  account  for 
the  movements  of  the  Islander  in  any  other  way. 

"  But  they  did  not  leave  the  colonel's  house  till 
five  minutes  of  seven  —  at  the  same  time  I  started 
to  come  here,"  replied  Owen.  "  What  has  hap- 
pened ?  What  is  the  matter  ? 

"  I  don't  know  that  anything  is  the  matter,"  I 
replied.  "  The  Islander  got  under  way  about  half- 
past  six,  and  I  supposed  she  was  going  to  take  a 
turn  on  the  river  before  she  went  up  to  the  wharf. 
Instead  of  that  she  has  been  moving  steadily  down 
the  river  since  she  got  up  her  anchor ;  and  there 
she  is,  three  or  four  miles  on  her  way  to  the 
ocean." 


70  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

"  Sylvania,  ahoy !  "  shouted  some  one  on  the 
shore. 

On  the  pier,  near  the  club-house,  were  the 
Shepard  party;  and  it  was  the  colonel  who  had 
hailed  us.  They  seemed  to  be  quite  as  much 
astonished  as  we  were.  I  ran  the  steamer  up  to 
the  wharf. 


YACHTING   ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  71 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A    LIVELY    CHASE. 

IN  a  few  minutes  our  bow  and  stern  lines  were 
fast  to  the  wharf  where  the  Shepards  were 
waiting  for  their  steam-yacht.  Owen  leaped  ashore 
before  the  vessel  was  fairly  alongside,  though  he 
had  not  yet  come  to  a  full  comprehension  of  what 
had  happened.  He  knew  something  was  the  mat- 
ter, but  he  could  no£  tell  what  it  was. 

As  soon  as  the  Sylvania  was  made  fast  I  went 
on  shore.  Colonel  Shepard  seemed  to  be  bewil- 
dered, for  Owen  had  just  told  him  the  Islander 
had  gone  down  the  river.  The  rest  of  the  family 
were  quite  as  much  astonished  as  the  husband  and 
father.  Chloe,  the  colored  servant,  was  actually 
wringing  her  hands,  as  though  she  feared  another 
conspiracy  was  about  to  be  developed. 

"Where  is  the  Islander,  Captain  Alick?  "  asked 
the  colonel,  as  I  presented  myself  before  him. 

*'  She  has  gone  down  the  river ;  and  the  last  I 


72  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

saw  of  her,  she  was  shaking  out  her  fore-topsail," 
I  replied. 

"But  what  does  that  mean?"  added  Colonel 
Shepard,  with  a  frown. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  sir.  She  got  under 
way  about  half-past  six.  I  supposed  Captain 
Blastblow  was  about  to  take  a  turn  or  two  in  her 
before  he  ran  up  to  the  wharf.  It  is  now  quarter- 
past  seven,  and  the  Islander  is  still  making  her 
way  down  the  river.  You  can  see  her  across  the 
land,  though  only  her  spars  are  in  sight." 

I  pointed  out  the  tapering  masts  of  our  consort 
—  if  she  was  to  be  our  consort— in  the  distance. 
Presently  she  disappeared  behind  a  forest  of  pine. 

"I  don't  understand  it  at  all, "said  the  perplexed 
owner  of  the  stray  yacht.  "  What  does  Captain 
Blastblow  mean  by  treating  me  in  this  manner, 
when  I  ordered  him  to  be  at  this  wharf  precisely 
at  seven  ?  " 

"I  can't  explain  it,  sir,"  I  replied.  *  There  is 
clearly  some  misunderstanding  about  the  matter." 

"  You  saw  me  write  the  card  at  the  post-office 
last  night,  Captain  Alick :  and  I  sent  it  off  by  the 
young  man  who  was  with  you." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  Nick  Boomsby  took  the  card ;  and 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  73 

I  have  no  doubt  he  delivered  it,  for  he  came  on 
board  of  the  Sylvania  towards  night. 

"I  think  Captain  Blastblow  intends  to  return 
soon,"  I  added,  for  I  could  not  think  of  any 
explanation  of  his  singular  conduct.  I  certainly 
could  not  reason  out  any  plausible  occasion  for 
such  a  violation  of  his  orders  as  that  in  which  he 
seemed  to  be  engaged. 

"  Perhaps  he  has  run  off  with  the  yacht,  and  in- 
tends to  become  a  pirate,  or  something  of  that 
sort,"  suggested  Gus  Shepard. 

"  Nonsense,  my  son !  The  Islander  is  not  an 
armed  vessel,  and  Captain  Blastblow  is  not  a 
pirate,"  replied  Colonel  Shepard.  "Do  you  sup- 
pose anything  was  out  of  order  on  board  of  the 
steamer,  Captain  Alick  ?  " 

"  It  is  possible ;  but  if  such  was  the  case,  the 
captain  would  hardly  have  gone  so  far  down 
the  river,"  I  replied.  "  If  the  Islander  had  needed 
any  more  repairs,  Captain  Blastblow  would  have 
remained  in  Jacksonville  and  attended  to  them." 

"  Perhaps  he  wishes  to  become  better  acquainted 
with  the  vessel  before  he  takes  her  to  sea,"  added 
the  colonel. 

"He   might    have   done   that   yesterday.      He 


74  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

would  not  have  waited  until  you  were  ready  to 
sail,  and  then  gone  off  on  an  experimental  cruise," 
I  answered. 

"An  experimental  cruise!  '  exclaimed  Owen. 
"What  a  terrible  expression.  I  hope  Captain 
Blastblow  don't  use  such  expressions.  If  he  does, 
he  has  gone  out  to  sea  where  he  can  have  room 
enough  to  unsnarl  his  tongue." 

"  Captain  Blastblow  is  an  American,  and  he  is 
used  to  such  little  trials,"  I  replied. 

"What  shall  be  done?"  asked  Colonel  Shepard. 

"I  think  you  had  better  go  on  board  of  the 
Sylvania,  with  your  baggage,  and  we  will  stand 
down  the  river,"  I  replied,  promptly,  for  I  had 
kept  this  idea  in  my  mind  for  some  time.  "  We 
can  at  least  follow  the  Islander,  and  when 
we  come  up  with  her  you  can  go  on  board  of 
her." 

"Are  you  sure  you  can  overtake  her,  Captain 
Alick?"  asked  Colonel  Shepard,  with  a  smile,  as 
though  he  had  some  doubts  in  regard  to  the 
relative  speed  of  the  two  steam-yachts.  "Captain 
Blastblow  is  confident  that  he  can  outsail  the 
Sylvania." 

"I  don't  say  that  he  cannot;  but  if  he  does,  he 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  75 

has  learned  a  new  trick  in  handling  her,"  I  an- 
swered, with  energy.  "I  have  sailed  the  Sylvania 
against  the  Islander  on  the  Great  Lakes  more 
than  once,  and  have  not  found  the  time  when  I 
could  not  beat  her." 

"  Her  new  captain  claims  to  be  a  very  skilful 
man  in  handling  steamers,"  added  the  colonel. 

"  If  you  and  your  family  will  come  on  board, 
sir,  I  will  do  the  best  I  can  to  overtake  the 
Islander,  and  ascertain  what  the  conduct  of  her 
captain  means.  If  we  have  anything  like  fair 
play,  we  shall  overhaul  the  Islander  sometime 
to-day,"  I  continued,  confidently.  "We  are  both 
well  down  in  the  water,  with  our  coal-bunkers 
and  water-tanks  full.  She  is  nearly  an  hour  ahead 
of  us  now,  and  her  captain  was  hurrying  her  all 
he  could." 

Owen  was  delighted  with  the  decision  of  Colonel 
Shepard  when  he  accepted  my  invitation.  He  had 
regained  his  divinity,  and  he  conducted  her  on 
board  of  the  Sylvania,  while  the  colonel  assisted 
Mrs.  Shepard.  Owen  escorted  Miss  Edith  to  the 
pilot-house,  and  her  mother  went  down  into  the 
cabin,  for  the  morning  was  rather  raw  and  chilly. 
Margie  took  her  dear  friend  to  her  heart,  and 


76  UP  THE  EIVER;  OR, 

hoped  the  Sylvania  would  never  overtake  the 
Islander. 

"  You  must  let  the  other  steamer  keep  ahead, 
Captain  Alick,"  said  Margie,  as  I  took  my  place 
at  the  wheel,  when  the  baggage  had  been  put  on 
board. 

"That  would  be  treason  to  the  Sylvania  and 
treason  to  Colonel  Shepard,"  I  replied,  as  I  rang 
the  bell  to  start  the  steamer. 

I  knew  the  river  well  enough  to  go  ahead  con- 
fidently, and  I  had  given  the  chief-engineer  a  hint 
as  to  what  I  expected  of  him.  In  a  few  minutes, 
the  little  steamer  was  buzzing  along  at  the  rate  of 
eleven  miles  an  hour.  The  only  thing  I  feared 
was  fog,  and  there  seemed  to  be  great  banks  of  it 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

"Mr.  Washburn,"  I  called  through  the  windows 
in  front  of  me. 

"On  deck,  sir,"  replied  the  mate. 

"Call  all  hands,  and  set  the  fore-topsail." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  responded  Washburn;  and  I 
knew  there  would  be  no  lack  of  zeal  on  his  part 
when  we  came  to  an  out-and-out  race. 

All  hands  usually  consisted  of  the  two  deck 
hands ;  but  Ben  Bowman,  the  second  fireman,  and 


YACHTING   ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  77 

the  cabin-waiter  were  available  when  there  was 
any  extra  work  to  be  done.  Buck  Lingley  and 
Hop  Tossford,  the  deck  hands,  were  sent  aloft  by 
the  mate  to  loose  sails,  while  the  others  manned 
the  halyard  and  the  braces.  In  a  very  short 
time  the  topsail  was  drawing  full,  and  the  speed 
of  the  vessel  was  sensibly  increased. 

"  Mr.  Washburn  !  "  I  called  again. 

"  On  deck,  sir,"  responded  the  mate. 

"  Set  the  foresail." 

The  crew  made  quick  work  of  it. 

"Now  the  mainsail,  Mr.  Washburn,"  I  continued. 

The  wind  was  quite  fresh,  and  the  fore  and  aft 
sails  caused  the  steamer  to  heel  over  considerably 
when  the  pufls  came,  as  they  generally  do  in  a 
south-westerly  breeze. 

"  You  will  tip  us  over,  Captain  Alick ! "  cried 
Miss  Margie,  who  had  not  been  at  sea  in  the 
Sylvania. 

"  I  won't  do  anything  of  the  kind,  Miss 
Tiffany,"  I  replied,  with  a  laugh.  "I  shall  not 
drown  myself  for  the  sake  of  drowning  you,  I 
am  very  sure.  Mr.  Washburn  ! " 

"On  deck,  sir." 

"Set  the  fore  to'gallant  sail." 


78  UP   THE    EIVER  J     OR, 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  chuckled  the  mate,  who  under- 
stood that  I  meant  business  by  this  time. 

"Pray,  which  is  the  fore  top-gallant  sail,  Cap- 
tain Alick  ?  "  asked  Miss  Margie. 

"  It  is  the  highest  sail  we  set  on  the  foremast, 
though  larger  vessels  have  a  royal  above  that, 
then  a  skysail,"  I  replied.  "Mr.  Washburn  !  " 

"  On  deck,  sir." 

"Now  give  us  the  fore  squaresail,  and  run  up 
the  jib." 

The  last  order  was  to  set  the  main  gaff-topsail ; 
and  then  we  had  all  sail  on.  We  turned  the  bend 
of  the  river  just  after  the  last  sail  had  been  set, 
which  gave  us  the  wind  over  the  starboard  quarter. 
I  was  confident  we  were  making  twelve  knots  an 
hour,  and  the  skilful  firing  of  Philander  Perkins 
soon  made  her  do  even  better  than  this.  The 
water  fairly  roared  at  the  bow  as  the  vessel  cut 
through  it.  The  young  ladies  in  the  pilot-house 
ceased  to  talk,  and  Miss  Margie  held  on  at  the 
wheel  with  both  hands.  It  was  lively  sailing,  but 
there  was  no  danger,  and  I  told  the  fair  maiden  so 
many  times. 

We  all  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  Islander, 
but  as  yet  we  saw  nothing  of  her.  She  had,  at 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  79 

least,  ten  miles  the  start  of  us,  and  it  was  likely  to 
be  a  long  chase,  if  she  continued  on  her  course. 
I  wanted  very  much  to  get  a  sight  of  her  when  we 
reached  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Johns,  so 
as  to  determine  what  course  she  took. 

No  progress  whatever  had  been  made  in  solving 
the  problem  of  the  Islander's  sudden  departure 
without  her  owner  and  passengers.  We  could  not 
imagine  any  motive  on  the  part  of  her  captain  for 
his  singular  conduct.  My  father  and  Colonel 
Shepard  talked  about  the  matter  all  the  time ;  but 
in  the  absence  of  any  data  they  could  not  get 
ahead  a  particle. 

In  an  hour  and  a  half  by  the  watch  we  were  in 
sight  of  the  bar.  The  weather  looked  thick  and 
nasty  outside,  and  there  was  not  the  slightest 
sign  of  the  Islander.  But  we  were  still  in  the 
river,  and  our  view  to  the  north  and  south  was  ob- 
structed by  the  trees  and  shrubs  on  the  shores. 
It  was  plain  enough  to  me  by  this  time  that  Cap- 
tain Blastblow  had  no  intention  of  returning  to 
Jacksonville  for  his  passengers. 

I  kept  the  Sylvania  on  her  course  over  the  bar, 
and,  as  it  was  full  tide,  I  had  no  fear  of  taking  the 
bottom.  We  kept  on  our  course  till  we  had  made 


80  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

a  good  offing.  Though  the  fog  had  not  settled 
down  near  the  bar,  vast  piles  of  it  were  floating  in 
the  air.  The  question  now  was  whether  the 
Islander  had  gone  to  the  north  or  the  south.  I 
had  given  the  wheel  to  Hop  Tossford,  and  I  was 
using  the  glass  very  industriously  in  all  quarters 
of  the  horizon. 

"  Sail,  ho !  "  shouted  Buck  Lingley,  who  had 
taken  his  station  on  the  cap  of  the  foremast. 

"Where  away?"  I  shouted,  sticking  my  head 
out  the  side  window  of  the  pilot-house. 

"  Right  on  the  starboard  beam,"  replied  Buck. 

As  the  fog  lifted  a  minute  later  I  got  a  glimpse 
of  the  sail. 

"  It  is  the  Islander ! "  I  shouted,  not  a  little 
excited.  "  She  is  going  to  the  southward." 

"  I  can't  understand  it,"  said  Colonel  Shepard, 
shaking  his  head.  "  Does  Captain  Blastblow  mean 
to  run  away  with  the  vessel  ?  " 

No  one  could  tell  what  he  meant. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  81 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

A   FOG   OFF   THE   FLORIDA    COAST. 

THE  Sylvania  was  close-hauled,  and  I  gave  out 
the  course  south  south-east.  This  was  the 
navigation  to  take  the  steamer  around  the  penin- 
sula into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  though  we  intended 
to  put  in  at  Key  West,  in  order  to  see  the  place. 
Washburn  noted  the  departure  on  the  log  slate 
in  the  pilot-house,  and,  as  it  was  necessary  for  us 
to  run  by  our  dead  reckoning,  the  log  was  heaved 
every  hour.  In  a  short  time  we  were  buried  in 
the  fog,  and  kept  our  steam-whistle  going  at  the 
proper  intervals. 

The  young  ladies  soon  deserted  the  pilot-house, 
for  we  were  obliged  to  keep  the  front  windows 
open,  and  the  air  was  cold  and  moist.  Owen  left 
with  them,  and  my  father  and  Colonel  Shepard 
soon  took  their  places.  The  owner  of  the  Islander 
was  still  too  much  excited  to  keep  still.  He  tried 
to  see  through  the  fog ;  but  he  might  as  well  have 
attempted  to  look  through  a  rocky  hill. 


82  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

"How  far  ahead  do  you  think  the  Islander  is 
now,  Captain  Alick?"  asked  the  Colonel. 

"About  eight  miles,  I  should  judge,  unless  Cap- 
tain Blastblow  has  succeeded  in  getting  more  speed 
out  of  the  Islander  than  any  one  else  ever  could," 
I  replied  at  once,  for  I  had  estimated  the  dis- 
tance before. 

"Do  you  really  think  you  are  gaining  on  her?" 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  I  replied,  confidently. 
"  They  hurried  the  Islander  down  the  river ;  and 
when  both  vessels  are  doing  their  best  the  Sylvania 
gains  about  a  knot  an  hour  on  the  Islander.  I 
have  tried  this  wTith  her  when  she  had  a  sailing- 
master  on  board  who  knew  all  about  her,  and  had 
sailed  her  hundreds  of  miles.  I  don't  believe  Cap- 
tain Blastblow  can  do  any  better  with  her  than 
Captain  Braceback ;  and  I  used  to  beat  him  every 
time." 

"I  dare  say  you  are  quite  right,  Captain  Alick," 
added  Colonel  Shepard.  "  It  is  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  a  man  who  is  used  to  a  vessel  can  do 
better  with  her  than  a  stranger." 

"  I  got  only  a  glimpse  of  the  Islander  when  the 
fog  lifted  for  a  moment,  and  saw  only  her  spars 
and  sails,"  I  continued.  "I  have  had  considerable 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  83 

experience  in  judging  of  distances  on  the  water. 
I  should  like  to  have  you  ask  the  others  on  board 
how  far  off  they  think  the  other  steamer  was  when 
we  saw  her." 

The  colonel  liked  the  suggestion,  and  he  was  so 
much  interested  in  the  question  that  he  wished  to 
have  the  best  information  he  could  obtain.  I  called 
Washburn  first.  No  one  but  Hop  Tossford  at  the 
wheel  had  heard  the  conversation,  and  they  could 
not  be  influenced  by  my  opinion  of  the  matter. 
The  mate  said  seven  miles.  Buck  Lingley  made  it 
nine  miles,  and  then  Ben  Bowman  was  summoned. 

"Just  about  eight  miles,  I  should  say,"  replied 
Ben,  when  the  question  was  put  to  him. 

"No  two  of  them  agree,  though  they  do  not 
differ  widely,"  said  the  Colonel,  when  all  who  had 
seen  the  Islander  had  answered. 

"Ben  Bowman  has  had  more  experience  than  all 
the  rest  of  us  put  together,"  I  added.  "But,  Col- 
onel, if  you  will  average  all  the  answers,  you  will 
find  the  result  is  just  eight  miles.  We  may  be  all 
wrong.  Captain  Blastblow  talks  louder  than  the 
rest  of  us,  but  when  he  beats  the  Sylvania  in  a  fair 
stand-up  run,  I  wish  you  would  let  me  know  it,  if 
I  don't  find  it  out  before  you  do." 


84  UP  THE  RIVER;    OR, 

I  felt  almost  absolutely  certain  of  the  ground  I 
stood  on,  for  I  had  tried  this  same  issue  when  the 
result  was  almost  a  case  of  life  and  death  with  me. 
The  Sylvania  had  been  built  after  the  Islander, 
and  her  constructor  had  an  opportunity  to  im- 
prove on  her  model.  Our  engine  was  a  little  more 
powerful  than  that  of  the  other  yacht,  and  a  defect 
in  the  lines  of  the  latter  had  been  corrected  in 
building  ours.  But  the  fact  of  our  superior  speed 
had  been  several  times  demonstrated  by  actual 
trial,  and  the  improvements  in  our  model  and 
machinery  only  explained  what  had  been  proved. 
It  was  of  course  possible  that  Captain  Blastblow 
had  some  "  knack  "  of  getting  more  speed  out  of  a 
steamer  than  I  had  ;  but  I  was  willing  to  believe, 
in  this  case,  only  what  was  fairly  proved. 

"We  may  miss  the  Islander  in  this  fog,"  con- 
tinued Colonel  Shepard,  peering  anxiously  through 
the  fog. 

"We  may,  sir,"  I  replied.  "There  is  nothing 
to  prevent  her  from  coming  about  and  running 
back  to  Jacksonville." 

"  What  if  she  should  do  that?  "  asked  the  owner 
of  the  stray  yacht. 

"  We  are  in  the  dark  as  to  the  intentions  of  her 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  85 

captain;  and  everything  depends  upon  them,"  I 
answered. 

"  What  can  his  intentions  possibly  be  ?  '*  inquired 
the  colonel,  knitting  his  brow,  as  he  recurred  once 
more  to  the  well-worn  topic  for  at  least  the  twen- 
tieth time. 

"  It  is  quite  impossible  to  conjecture  his  motives. 
He  has  either  made  a  mistake  in  regard  to  his  in- 
structions, or  he  means  to  run  away  with  the 
Islander." 

"  What  mistake  could  he  have  made  in  regard  to 
his  instructions?"  demanded  the  colonel,  who  had 
not  admitted  the  possibility  for  an  instant  of  any 
mistake.  "Last  night  I  wrote  his  instructions  to 
be  ready  to  sail  at  seven,  and  sent  them  off  to  him 
by  the  young  man  who  was  with  you." 

"Did  you  write  seven  this  morning,  sir?"  I 
asked. 

"  I  think  I  did,  though  I  should  not  be  willing 
to  swear  to  it,"  replied  the  colonel,  looking  a  little 
blank  at  the  idea  of  such  a  mistake. 

"  If  you  simply  said  seven,  he  may  have  taken 
it  to  mean  seven  this  evening,"  I  suggested. 

"  He  could  not  have  thought  we  intended  to  go 
down  the  river  and  cross  the  bar  in  the  night." 


86  UP  THE  KIVER;  OR, 

"  I  should  say  not ;  but  Captain  Blastblow  is  a 
very  brilliant  man,  and  has  been  around  Cape 
Horn  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  so  many  times 
that  he  ought  to  know  what  he  is  about,"  I  replied, 
letting  out  a  little  of  my  pique  at  the  commander 
of  the  Islander  for  his  implications  against  me. 

"Allowing  that  I  wrote  '  seven  p.  M.  ,'  or  that  I 
did  not  write  either  morning  or  evening,  what  is 
Captain  Blastblow  doing  down  here?"  demanded 
Colonel  Shepard,  warmly. 

"  If  he  understood  that  you  were  not  to  sail  till 
this  evening,  he  may  have  brought  the  Islander 
out  here  to  try  her,  and  enable  him  to  get  accus- 
tomed to  her  ways  before  he  took  on  board  his 
passengers.  That  is  all  the  explanation  I  can 
suggest,  but  I  don't  think  it  will  hold  water.  He 
knows  very  well,  for  he  has  been  around  Cape 
Horn  several  times,  that  if  he  comes  out  here  in  a 
fog,  he  may  not  be  able  to  get  back  to  Jackson- 
ville in  time  to  take  you  on  board  to-night,  or 
even  to-morrow  or  next  day." 

"  If  Captain  Blastblow  had  any  doubt  in  regard 
to  my  orders,  he  could  have  sent  one  of  his  men 
up  to  my  house,  and  ascertained  just  what  I  in- 
tended," said  the  owner,  rather  wrathfully. 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  87 

"  That  is  what  I  should  have  done  ;  but  Captain 
Blastblow  has  had  more  experience  than  I  have,"  I 
replied,  with  a  smile. 

"  Did  you  notice  anything  unusual  about  the 
Islander,  or  the  conduct  of  those  on  board  of  her, 
when  you  saw  her  this  morning,  Captain  Alick  ?  " 
continued  the  colonel. 

"Nothing  at  all,  sir.  A  boat  went  off  to  her  a 
few  moments  before  she  weighed  her  anchor,"  I 
answere'd.  "There  were  two  persons  in  the  boat 
when  it  went  alongside  the  Islander,  but  only  one 
returned  to  the  shore  in  it.  I  concluded  some 
one  of  her  officers  or  crew  had  remained  ashore 
over  night,  and  came  off  in  a  shore  boat.  I  did 
not  think  of  the  boat  till  you  asked  the  question." 

"  I  don't  see  that  the  boat  throws  any  light  on 
the  transaction,"  mused  the  owner.  "We  don't 
know  who  was  in  the  boat,  though  if  we  were  in 
Jacksonville,  we  could  easily  ascertain." 

"  I  don't  have  any  idea  that  we  shall  know  any- 
thing about  this  matter  until  we  overhaul  the 
Islander,"  I  added.  "  We  can  guess  for  the  next 
week,  but  we  are  as  likely  to  guess  wrong  as 
right." 

"  I  can't  help  being  considerably  disturbed  about 


88  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

this  mysterious  conduct  of  Captain  Blastblow ;  but 
I  do  not  see  that  we  are  likely  to  be  any  wiser  in 
regard  to  it,  as  Captain  Alick  says,  till  we  see  the 
captain,"  replied  the  colonel.  "We  have  got  to 
make  the  best  of  it,  and  be  patient  till  we  learn 
more.  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Major  Gar- 
ningham  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  possible  to  form  an  intelli- 
gent opinion  without  further  information  in  regard 
to  the  facts,"  replied  my  father.  "I  am  more 
inclined  to  believe  that  Captain  Blastblow  has 
made  a  mistake  of  some  kind,  than  that  he  means 
anything  wrong.  It  would  be  worse  than  folly  for 
him  to  attempt  to  run  away  with  the  steam-yacht, 
for  he  is  sure  to  be  discovered  and  punished." 

"If  it  is  a  mistake  or  a  misunderstanding,  it  is  a 
very  queer  one.  But  I  am  not  disposed  to  worry 
about  the  matter,  and  I  shall  try  to  reconcile  my- 
self to  the  situation,"  replied  Colonel  Shepard, 
struggling  to  laugh  off  his  anxiety  for  the  safety 
of  his  yacht. 

I  think  it  was  the  want  of  her,  more  than  the 
value  of  the  craft,  that  troubled  and  vexed  him. 
He  was  a  very  wealthy  man,  and  if  she  was  lost 
entirely  to  him,  it  would  hardly  impair  his  fortune. 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  89 

"  We  shall  do  the  best  we  can  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem, and  overhaul  the  Islander,"  I  continued ; 
"  but,  after  all,  we  may  miss  her.  If  Captain 
Blastblow  has  made  a  blunder,  or  there  is  any 
misunderstanding,  he  must  soon  discover  it.  If 
he  has  only  come  out  here  for  a  trial  trip,  and 
should  happen  to  pass  us  in  the  fog  without  our 
seeing  him,  he  knows  the  Sylvania  will  put  into 
Key  West.  If  he  gets  back  to  Jacksonville,  and 
finds  that  you  have  left  in  our  steamer,  he  will 
return  at  once,  and  find  us  at  our  anchorage  in 
port." 

"When  shall  you  reach  Key  West,  Captain 
Alick  ?  "  asked  the  colonel. 

"  If  we  have  good  weather,  it  is  a  run  of  from 
forty-two  to  forty-five  hours.  If  this  fog  con- 
tinues, it  will  take  longer  than  that,  for  the  navi- 
gation is  not  all  plain  sailing,"  I  replied. 

"And  you  think  you  can  overtake  the  Islander 
in  about  eight  hours  ?  " 

"I  think  so,  sir;  but  I  can't  say  that  we  shall 
come  near  enough  to  see  or  hear  her  in  this  fog,"  I 
answered.  "I  think  you  had  better  make  your 
party  comfortable  on  board  of  the  Sylvania,  and 
leave  the  rest  of  the  matter  to  me  and  my  officers." 


90  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

"  I  am  confident  that  is  the  better  way  for  you ; 
and  I  am  sure  Alick  will  do  all  he  can  both  to 
make  you  and  your  family  comfortable  in  the 
cabin,  and  to  find  your  runaway  vessel,"  added 
my  father. 

Colonel  Shepard  yielded  to  this  advice,  and  I 
went  down  into  the  after-cabin  with  all  the  passen- 
gers to  arrange  about  the  staterooms  and  berths. 
Our  involuntary  guests  declared  that  they  were 
very  sorry  to  make  so  much  trouble,  and  especially 
to  disturb  our  arrangements  on  board.  Both  my 
father  and  I  assured  them  they  made  no  trouble, 
and  that  we  were  not  at  all  disturbed  by  their 
presence,  inasmuch  as  we  had  invited  them  to  take 
the  cruise  in  the  Sylvania,  and  were  glad  to  have 
them  on  board. 

I  had  made  a  diagram  of  the  cabin,  and  assigned 
rooms  and  berths  to  all  the  passengers,  when  I 
supposed  they  were  to  sail  with  us.  I  proceeded 
to  arrange  our  guests  in  accordance  with  this  plan. 

"  Let  me  have  a  berth  in  the  fore-cabin,  Alick," 
said  Owen  to  me  in  a  whisper. 

"There  is  no  need  of  that,  Owen,"  I  replied. 
"There  is  room  enough  for  all  of  you  in  this 
cabin,  and  some  to  spare.  Colonel  and  Mrs. 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  91 

Shepard  will  occupy  the  port  stateroom,  as  before, 
when  they  have  sailed  with  us,"  I  continued,  con- 
sulting my  diagram. 

The  colonel  protested  that  he  would  not  occupy 
the  best  stateroom ;  but  I  insisted,  and  went  on 
giving  out  the  apartments. 

"Miss  Edith  and  Miss  Margie  will  take  the 
starboard  stateroom." 

Both  of  them  screamed  with  delight  at  this  dis- 
position of  them,  and  Margie  declared  that  I  was 
a  "  dear,  good  little  Captain  Alick,"  though  I  was 
bigger  in  stature  than  her  father.  I  had  given  the 
two  larger  rooms  to  those  who  were  to  double-up 
in  them  ;  and  of  the  two  remaining  rooms,  I  gave 
one  to  my  father  and  the  other  to  Mr.  Tiffany. 
Owen  and  Gus  were  assigned  to  the  two  berths 
next  to  the  rooms,  which  left  two  others  for  Chloe 
and  the  steward.  The  curtains  drew  out  in  front 
of  the  berths,  so  that  the  spaces  within  them  were 
almost  the  same  as  staterooms.  All  were  satisfied. 
I  gave  orders  to  Cobbington  to  provide  tables  for 
all.  Leaving  the  passengers  to  arrange  their 
baggage  in  their  new  quarters,  I  returned  to 
the  deck. 

The  fog  was  as  dense  as  ever,  and  we  could  not 


92  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

see  more  than  a  ship's  length  ahead.  Ben  Bow- 
man was  on  the  top-gallant  forecastle,  and  Buck 
Lingley  on  the  fore-yard,  keeping  the  look-out. 
We  were  driving  the  steamer  in  spite  of  the  fog, 
and  I  had  some  hope  that  we  might  soon  get  a 
sight  of  the  chase,  or  at  least  hear  the  sound  of 
her  whistle. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  93 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

A    PORT    IN    A    STORM. 

WASHBURN,  you  have  a  long  head;  can 
you  make  anything  of  the  situation,  for 
I  suppose  you  know  all  about  it?"  I  asked,  as  I 
joined  the  mate  on  the  forecastle. 

"I  know  what  I  have  heard  about  the  pilot- 
house and  on  the  forecastle,"  replied  Washburn. 

"  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  anything  out  of 
it,  so  far,"  I  continued. 

"  I  can't  believe  that  the  captain  of  the  Islander 
means  to  run  away  with  her.  I  don't  believe  this 
is  a  trial  trip,  as  you  suggested,  for  the  captain 
would  not  have  come  out  into  this  fog  on  such  an 
errand,"  added  Washburn.  "On  the  whole,  I 
must  believe  it  is  a  blunder  on  the  part  of  the  cap- 
tain of  the  consort.  But  I  think  we  are  not  likely 
to  find  out  anything  definite  about  the  case  until 
we  overhaul  the  Islander.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to 
keep  moving  to  the  southward,  and  keep  a  sharp 


94  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

look-out  for  the  chase.  It  is  useless  to  bother  one's 
brains  over  questions  that  cannot  be  answered." 

"When  I  saw  the  Islander,  she  was  well  in 
shore,"  J  added.  "If  she  takes  a  notion  to  come 
about,  and  run  back  to  the  St.  Johns,  we  may 
miss  her." 

"And  she  may  drop  into  St.  Augustine,"  said 
the  mate. 

"  I  don't  see  any  reason  why  she  should,"  I  re- 
plied. "  Captain  Blastblow  knows  that  the  party 
are  bound  up  the  Mississippi  River.  He  knows 
the  Sylvania  is,  at  any  rate ;  and  he  would  not 
have  headed  to  the  southward  if  he  had  not  in- 
tended to  make  the  same  trip,  always  supposing 
he  has  misunderstood  his  instructions." 

"By  six  o'clock  to-night,  if  everything  holds  as 
it  is,  we  ought  to  overhaul  the  Islander,  if  we 
don't  miss  her  in  the  fog,  and  Captain  Blastblow 
don't  do  any  better  in  her  than  any  one  else  has 
ever  done,"  continued  Washburn.  "But  the  wind 
is  freshening,  Captain  Alick." 

"  Yes ;  and  the  barometer  indicates  that  we  are 
to  have  a  bad  day  of  it,"  I  replied,  looking  at 
the  white  caps  that  rolled  up  to  windward  of  the 
steamer. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  95 

The  wind  was  gusty  and  savage.  The  steamer 
heeled  well  over  to  port  under  the  heavy  press  of 
sail  we  were  carrying.  But  I  did  not  care  much 
how  hard  it  blew,  if  it  would  only  carry  off  the 
fog,  as  I  believed  it  would  do  soon. 

By  half-past  ten  I  found  it  necessary  to  take  in 
the  fore  square-sail  and  the  fore  top-gallant  sail, 
for  I  was  afraid  the  heavy  weight  of  canvas  would 
strain  the  foremast.  This  relieved  the  steamer  for 
a  time  ;  but  the  wind  had  increased  to  a  gale,  and 
had  hauled  more  to  the  southward.  Half  an  hour 
later  we  took  in  the  fore  topsail  and  the  main  gaff- 
topsail,  so  that  nothing  but  our  fore  and  aft  sails 
remained.  The  log  at  eleven  indicated  that  we 
were  making  twelve  knots,  and  it  was  about  time 
for  us  to  be  up  with  St.  Augustine  light,  but  we 
could  not  see  it  in  the  fog.  Suddenly  we  heard  a 
fog-horn  on  our  starboard  bow. 

I  rushed  into  the  pilot-house  and  rang  the  gong. 
The  engineer  immediately  "stopped  the  engine,  and 
the  roar  of  escaping  steam  followed.  I  was  afraid 
we  might  run  down  some  of  the  small  craft  that  go 
in  and  out  of  St.  Augustine. 

"  Sail,  ho  !  "  shouted  Ben  Bowman,  on  the  top- 
gallant forecastle.  "  I  see  her  ;  she  is  a  pilot-boat." 


96  UP  THE  EIVER;   OR, 

A  moment  later  I  saw  a  sail-boat,  in  which  were 
three  men.  There  was  a  number  on  her  sail,  which 
indicated  that  she  was  a  pilot-boat.  She  had  evi- 
dently heard  our  whistle,  and  had  came  out  in  the 
rough  sea  to  take  us  into  St.  Augustine,  if  we 
were  bound  into  that  port.  I  directed  the  wheel- 
man to  port  the  helm,  so  as  to  throw  the  Sylvania 
up  into  the  wind  under  the  stern  of  the  pilotrboat. 

"How  came  you  up  there,  captain?  "  demanded 
one  of  the  men  in  the  boat,  and  all  of  them  looked 
amazed. 

"  We  are  bound  to  the  southward,  coming  down 
from  St.  Johns  bar,"  I  replied.  "  How  does  St. 
Augustine  bear  from  here  ?  " 

"  Due  east,"  answered  the  spokesman  of  the  trio. 

"Look  out  for  your  reckoning,  Washburn,"  I 
added,  turning  to  the  mate. 

"  Twenty  minutes  of  twelve,"  added  Washburn, 
consulting  the  chronometer.  "This  is  exactly 
where  we  ought  to  be  at  this  time,"  and  he  made 
the  entry  on  the  log-slate. 

"  Haven't  you  been  over  this  course  before  to- 
day ?  "  asked  the  spokesman  of  the  pilot. 

"  Not  to-day,"  I  answered,  perceiving  what  it 
was  that  bewildered  the  pilots.  They  had  evi- 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  97 

dently  seen  the  Islander,  and  supposed  the  Syl- 
vania  was  the  same  steamer. 

"We  came  out  here  after  a  steamer  we  heard 
whistling  in  the  fog,"  continued  the  speaker.  "  We 
got  near  enough  to  hail  her ;  and  if  this  is  not  the 
same  steamer,  she  is  as  near  like  the  other  as  one 
pea  is  like  another." 

"  She  is  the  twin  sister  of  this  vessel.  Did  you 
see  who  was  on  board  of  her?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  saw  no  one  but  the  captain,  and  he  said  he 
was  bound  south,  and  was  not  going  into  St. 
Augustine." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  where  he  was  bound?" 

"  He  didn't  say  a  word  about  it,  but  kept  on  his 
course." 

*  Good-day,"  I  added,  as  I  told  Hop  to  ring  the 
speed-bell. 

We  filled  away  again,  and  were  soon  going 
through  the  water  at  our  former  speed.  The  pilot- 
boat  was  almost  swamped  in  the  heavy  sea,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  her  crew  were  a  little  out  of  sorts 
after  coming  out  for  a  vessel  and  getting  nothing 
for  their  pains. 

"That's  good  as  far  as  it  goes,"  said  Washburn, 
when  we  were  on  our  course  again.  "We  are 


98  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

sure  now  that  the  Islander  has  not  gone  into 
port." 

"And  we  are  sure  the  Islander  is  not  a  great 
way  ahead  of  us,"  I  added. 

"Just  seven  miles,"  replied  the  mate,  glancing 
at  the  log-slate.  "I  could  stick  a  pin  in  the  chart 
at  exactly  the  point  where  she  is." 

"  But  it  may  be  that  Captain  Blastblow  has  not 
blown  his  blast  entirely  in  vain,  and  may  have 
been  able  to  get  more  speed  out  of  the  Islander 
than  anybody  else  has,"  I  suggested. 

"  But  the  pilots  said  she  was  only  half  an  hour 
or  so  ahead  of  us.  She  got  oif  at  least  an  hour 
ahead  of  us ;  and  if  we  have  not  been  gaining  on 
her,  she  ought  to  be  about  ten  miles  ahead,"  argued 
Washburn.  I  was  willing  to  accept  his  logic,  for 
we  had  been  over  the  reasoning  times  enough  to 
understand  the  case  in  precisely  the  same  way. 

"  The  fog  is  lifting,  sir,"  reported  the  second 
engineer,  who  was  doing  voluntary  duty  on  the 
top-gallant  forecastle. 

This  was  agreeable  news,  and  all  hands  directed 
their  gaze  to  the  point  where  the  Islander  was  be- 
lieved to  be.  The  gale  was  increasing  in  force 
every  moment.  Though  I  had  no  fears  for  the 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  99 

safety  oi  the  vessel,  I  knew  how  fearfully  so  small 
a  steamer  as  the  Sylvania  leaped  and  rolled  in  a 
heavy  gale,  and  I  was  not  a  little  concerned  about 
the  comfort  of  my  passengers.  We  had  had  a  very 
thorough  trial  of  her  pitching  and  rolling  in  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  I  did  not  like  to  subject 
the  Shepards  and  the  Tifianys  to  any  unnecessary 
discomfort. 

"  We  are  going  to  have  a  regular  muzzier, 
Washburn,"  I  said,  after  glancing  at  the  barometer 
again. 

"  There  isn't  any  doubt  about  that,"  he  replied, 
laughing.  "  I  wish  we  had  no  ladies  on  board." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  that  myself,  and  I  will  go 
down  into  the  cabin,  and  talk  the  matter  over  with 
our  passengers,"  I  replied.  "  Of  course  if  we  give 
up  the  chase  of  the  Islander,  we  are  not  likely  to 
come  near  her  again.  But  Colonel  Shepard  .  and 
his  family  may  decide  that  question." 

I  left  the  pilot-house  and  went  aft.  Though  we 
were  but  a  few  miles  from  the  land,  there  was  a 
tremendous  sea  raging,  and  the  Sylvania  was  pitch- 
ing violently.  I  went  down  into  the  cabin  and 
found  the  passengers  trying  to  keep  their  places  on 
the  transoms.  They  were  all  exceedingly  good- 


100  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

natured  about  the  situation.  Owen  was  making 
jokes,  and  the  young  ladies  were  laughing  at  them. 
Cobbington  and  Tom  Sands  had  put  the  guards  on 
the  table,  and  were  doing  what  they  could  to  pre- 
pare for  dinner. 

"  Why  do  you  shake  up  the  Sylvania  so  fiercely, 
Alick  ?  "  asked  Owen. 

"  She  is  behaving  very  prettily  just  now ;  but  I 
came  down  to  tell  you  that  it  is  likely  to  blow,  and 
kick  up  an  uncomfortable  sea,"  I  replied,  looking 
at  Mrs.  Shepard,  who  seemed  to  be  the  most  tried 
by  the  situation. 

"  But  I  had  an  idea  that  it  was  blowing  already," 
added  Owen. 

"  So  it  is,  in  a  mild  way,"  I  answered. 

"  If  this  is  only  in  a  mild  way,  what  will  it  be 
when  it  blows  harder?"  asked  Mrs.  Shepard, 
nervously. 

"  It  will  be  worse  than  it  is  now,"  I  replied. 

"  Do  you  think  we  are  in  any  danger,  Captain 
Alick,"  inquired  the  lady,  looking  very  anxiously 
into  my  face. 

"  I  do  not  think  we  are  in  any  danger,"  I  added. 
"  But  it  is  going  to  blow  a  great  deal  harder  than 
it  does  now." 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  101 

"What  will  it  do  then,  Captain  Alick?"  asked 
Miss  Edith. 

"  The  Sylvania  is  small,  and  she  will  pitch  and 
roll  a  great  deal  more  than  she  does  now.  Mr. 
Garningham  has  been  in  her  during  a  very 
heavy  gale,  and  he  can  tell  you  something  about 
it." 

"  She  stands  up  straight,  and  rolls  quite  over,  so 
that  we  shall  all  be  pitched  against  the  ceiling  of 
the  cabin,"  added  Owen,  maliciously.  "Then  she 
goes  down  under  the  brine,  quite  out  of  sight  of  any 
one  supposed  to  be  on  the  top  of  the  waves. 
The  water  may  come  down  into  this  cabin  like  a 
young  Niagara." 

"  Then  there  must  be  very  great  danger,"  said 
Mrs.  Shepard. 

"No  great  danger,  madam,  but  I  fear  you  will 
be  very  uncomfortable,"  I  answered. 

"  But  can't  we  stop  till  the  weather  is  better?  " 

"  We  shall  find  no  port  it  will  be  safe  to  enter  in 
this  weather,  madam,"  I  replied.  "  If  it  were  fine 
weather,  we  might  run  into  Mosquito  Inlet ;  but 
that  is  seven  hours'  run  from  here." 

"  We  shall  all  have  our  brains  knocked  out  if 
we  go  on  in  this  way,"  groaned  Mrs.  Shepard. 


102  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

"  Can't  you  do  something  to  make  us  more  com- 
fortable, Captain  Alick?" 

"  I  can  make  you  all  quite  comfortable  in  less 
than  an  hour,"  I  answered.  "But  our  business 
just  now  is  to  overtake  the  Islander ;  and  if  we 
delay  the  voyage  we  may  never  see  her  again." 

"  Plague  on  the  Islander  !  "  exclaimed  the  lady. 

"I  don't  think  there  is  any  particular  danger, 
ladies,"  interposed  my  father.  "  It  is  altogether  a 
matter  of  comfort." 

"I  don't  want  to  have  my  brains  knocked  out," 
added  Miss  Edith. 

"  If  we  keep  on  we  may  know  who  has  brains 
and  who  has  not,"  laughed  Owen. 

"  I'm  sure  those  who  want  to  be  thumped  about 
in  this  manner  haven't  any  brains,"  continued  Mrs. 
Shepard.  "What  can  you  do,  Captain  Alick?" 

"  We  have  just  passed  the  entrance  to  St. 
Augustine  harbor.  We  could  run  back,  and  make 
a  port  there,"  I  replied. 

"Then  do  it,  for  mercy's  sake,"  said  the  lady, 
as  a  heavy  sea  rolled  the  steamer  down  to  her 
gunwale. 

"  I  should  certainly  have  suggested  doing  so, 
if  we  had  not  been  in  chase  of  the  Islander." 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  103 

"That  need  not  make  any  difference,  Captain 
Alick." 

"  The  gale  may  last  all  night  as  well  as  all  day, 
Alick,"  added  my  father.  "We  are  sailing  for 
pleasure,  and  there  is  no  pleasure  in  being  beaten 
about  in  this  manner.  I  think  you  had  better  put 
about  and  get  UB  into  smooth  water." 

I  went  on  deck  rather  disappointed  at  the  result 
of  the  conference,  for  I  was  interested  in  the  chase. 
I  ordered  the  jib  and  mainsail  to  be  taken  in,  and 
the  helm  to  be  put  down.  The  fog  had  lifted  to 
the  northward  and  westward  of  us,  so  that  I  could 
see  St.  Augustine  light  and  the  pilot-boat.  We 
took  up  one  of  the  pilots,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  we  were  anchored  under  the  lee  of  the  town, 
where  the  water  was  as  smooth  as  that  of  a  mill- 
pond. 

Our  party  were  not  inclined  to  land,  and  we 
spent  a  pleasant  afternoon  on  board,  in  spite 
of  the  storm.  We  could  see  that  it  was  blowing 
almost  a  hurricane  outside,  and  were  quite  con- 
tented to  be  at  anchor. 


104  UP  THE  EIVER;  OK, 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   VISIT   FROM   AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE. 

T  COULD  not  help  thinking  of  the  Islander  as 
-*-  we  lay  at  anchor  off  the  pier  in  St.  Augustine. 
As  I  looked  at  the  angry  billows  outside,  I  under- 
stood what  kind  of  a  time  Captain  Blastblow  was 
having.  But  if  he  handled  his  vessel  well,  and 
kept  out  of  the  breakers,  I  had  no  doubt  he  would 
come  out  of  the  trial  all  right.  The  wind  had 
hauled  still  more  to  the  southward,  and  even  to 
the  east  of  south.  I  was  confident  that  the 
Islander,  having  the  wind  nearly  dead  ahead, 
would  not  make  much  headway  against  such  a 
fierce  wind. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  we 
had  finished  our  dinners,  both  in  the  after  and  the 
forward  cabin,  I  saw  a  boat  put  off  from  the  shore. 
The  person  in  the  stern  sheets  had  a  familiar  look, 
though  I  did  not  recognize  him  till  he  came  on 
deck. 


YACHTING   ON  THE   MISSISSIPPI.  105 

"I  hope  you  are  quite  well,  Captain  Garning- 
ham,"  said  he,  advancing  towards  me  with  ex- 
tended hand. 

It  was  Cornwood,  who  had  been  with  us  up  the 
St.  Johns  in  the  double  capacity  of  guide  and 
pilot,  to  say  nothing  of  a  third  capacity  as  con- 
spirator. While  I  could  not  prove  it,  I  was  satis- 
fied that  he  was  employed  by  Captain  Boomsby  to 
get  me  out  of  the  way  in  some  mild  manner.  He 
had  caused  a  drunken  mulatto  to  be  employed  as  a 
waiter  in  the  fore-cabin,  who  was  another  of  the 
conspirators.  But  both  of  them  had  been  foiled  ; 
though,  if  my  father  had  not  arrived  at  the  scene 
of  action  when  he  did,  I  might  not  have  been 
privileged  to  tell  my  story.  The  waiter  had  been 
sentenced  to  a  term  as  a  convict,  though  Corn- 
wood  had  been  his  counsel. 

I  thought  it  was  rather  impudent  of  Cornwood 
to  come  on  board  of  the  Sylvania  after  what  had 
happened ;  but  brass  and  impudence  were  the  prin- 
cipal elements  of  his  stock-in-trade.  He  seemed 
to  have  as  much  assurance  as  though  his  relations 
had  been  entirely  pleasant  with  me.  He  was  a 
man  of  decided  ability,  though  not  as  a  lawyer. 
He  knew  more  about  Florida  than  any  other  man 


106  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

I  had  met;  and  I  had  never  known  him,  in  the 
month  of  my  intimacy  with  him,  to  be  ignorant 
of  any  subject,  from  the  navigation  of  an  interior 
lake  or  river  to  the  scientific  name  of  a  plant  or 
animal.  In  spite  of  the  harm  he  had  intended  to 
do  me,  through  his  agent,  I  had  a  great  respect 
for  his  ability. 

"You  found  it  rough  outside,  Captain  Garning- 
ham,"  said  Cornwood,  when  he  had  disposed  of 
the  commonplace  introductories. 

"  Too  rough  for  the  ladies  ;  and  I  came  in  here 
to  find  a  smoother  sea,"  I  replied. 

"  The  storm  won't  last  long,  as  it  comes  from 
the  southward,"  he  added. 

"When  did  you  leave  Jacksonville,  Mr.  Corn- 
wood  ?  "  I  asked,  for  I  thought  I  had  seen  him  in 
the  street  the  day  before. 

"  I  came  up  in  the  morning  boat,"  he  replied. 
"It  is  getting  to  be  very  dull  in  Jacksonville,  and 
I  thought  I  might  find  something  to  do  here,  for 
fishing  and  hunting  parties  often  come  to  St. 
Augustine  without  stopping  at  the  city." 

"We  had  some  thought  of  trying  the  fish  at 
Indian  River  as  we  went  along ;  but  circumstances 
do  not  allow  us  to  stop,  and  we  shall  run  direct  for 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  107 

Key  West.  Was  there  anything  new  in  regard  to 
the  robbery  of  the  bank  messenger  this  morning?" 

"  I  heard  nothing.  But  your  friend,  Captain 
Boomsby,  is  in  great  trouble,"  said  Cornwood, 
smiling,  as  though  the  saloon-keeper's  trouble, 
whatever  it  was,  could  not  produce  a  deep  im- 
pression on  his  late  employe*. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  captain  ?  "  I  asked, 
with  interest. 

"  His  son  Nick  has  disappeared." 

"  Nick  disappeared ! "  I  exclaimed,  not  a  little 
astonished. 

"He  cannot  be  found,  though  his  father  searched 
from  six  o'clock  this  morning  till  the  time  I  left." 

"When  did  his  father  first  miss  him?" 

"  It  appears  that  Nick  tended  bar  till  after  mid- 
night. The  old  man  was  too  full  to  sit  up  any 
longer,  and  he  left  Nick  to  close  the  bar.  The 
captain  says  his  son  did  not  sleep  in  the  house 
last  night,  and  he  has  no  idea  when  or  where  he 
went." 

"  Very  likely  he  left  in  the  first  train  this  morn- 
ing," I  suggested,  recalling  all  that  had  passed 
between  Nick  and  me  the  day  before. 

"No,  he  didn't,  for  his  father  went  to  the  sta- 


108  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

tion,  and  passed  through  the  train  just  before 
it  started.  He  did  not  leave  by  railroad,  or 
come  up  the  river  in  the  Hampton,  or  I  should 
have  seen  him." 

"  Nick  has  something  like  sharpness,  and  he 
knew  he  could  not  get  off  on  the  morning  train. 
But  he  could  have  walked  to  Baldwin  between  the 
time  he  closed  the  bar  and  nine  o'clock,  and  taken 
the  train  there,"  I  added. 

"  I  don't  believe  Nick  walked  twenty  miles  :  he 
is  too  lazy  to  do  anything  of  the  kind,"  added 
Cornwood,  with  a  smile  of  incredulity.  "  But  he 
is  not  a  great  loss  to  his  father ;  and  he  may  make 
his  way  when  he  is  thrown  on  his  own  resources. 
There  was  another  piece  of  news  in  Jacksonville 
this  morning." 

"  What  was  that? "  I  inquired. 

"  But  I  suppose  you  know  more  about  this  mat- 
ter than  any  one  in  the  city.  It  was  said  that 
Colonel  Shepard's  yacht,  in  which  he  was  going 
to  New  Orleans,  left  without  him  or  his  family. 
Is  that  a  fact?" 

"It  is  true,  to  the  letter,"  I  replied.  "I  took 
the  colonel  and  his  family  on  board  of  the  Syl- 
vania,  and  they  are  in  the  cabin  now." 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  109 

"  That's  very  odd  —  that  Captain  Blastblow 
should  leave  without  his  passengers,"  added  Corn- 
wood.  "  What  does  it  mean? " 

"That  is  more  than  any  one  on  board  of  the 
Sylvania  can  explain." 

"Was  there  any  money  on  board  of  the  yacht — 
I  forget  her  name,  though  I  have  heard  you  men- 
tion it  several  times  ?  " 

"The  Islander:  she  is  the  twin-sister  of  the 
Sylvania,  and  as  near  like  her  as  one  pin  is  like 
another,"  I  answered.  "I  am  not  aware  that 
there  was  any  money  on  board  of  her;  and  I 
should  say  there  was  not,  for  the  passengers  had 
not  sent  their  baggage  on  board." 

"Does  any  one  know  where  she  is  gone?" 

"  She  is  bound  to  the  south,  for  we  saw  her  off 
St.  Johns'  bar  headed  in  that  direction.  The 
pilots  off  the  St.  Augustine  light  saw  her  to-day 
noon.  We  were  chasing  her  when  our  passengers 
desired  to  get  out  of  the  heavy  sea." 

"I  should  think  Colonel  Shepard  would  have 
some  idea  of  the  motives  of  Captain  Blast- 
blow." 

"He  has  no  more  idea  than  I  have,  and  I  have 
none.  We  are  inclined  to  believe  that  the  captain 


110  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

misunderstood  his  orders,  for  Colonel  Shepard 
was  in  doubt  whether  or  not  he  should  be  able  to 
go  up  the  Mississippi  with  us.  When  the  mail 
got  in  yesterday  afternoon,  he  wrote  a  card  with 
his  instructions  to  Captain  Blastblow  on  it,  and 
sent  it  off  to  the  Islander  by  Nick  Boomsby,  who 
happened  to  be  talking  to  me  in  the  post-office  at 
the  time." 

"  Sent  it  off  by  Nick  Boomsby,"  repeated 
Cornwood ;  but  he  did  not  appear  to  be  as- 
tonished. "  How  came  Nick  to  be  about  at  that 
time?" 

I  told  my  late  guide  and  pilot  all  that  passed 
between  me  and  the  son  of  my  ancient  enemy,  to 
which  he  listened  with  deep  interest.  He  seemed 
to  be  engaged  in  earnest  thought  all  the  time,  as 
though  Nick's  movements  had  some  meaning  to 
him,  though  not  a  particle  to  me.  I  told  him 
I  was  in  Captain  Boomsby's  saloon  to  say  good-by 
to  him  at  the  time  the  robbery  of  the  messenger 
occurred.  He  questioned  me  very  minutely  in 
regard  to  the  affair,  and  I  told  him  all  I  knew 
about  it. 

"  Buckner  sent  for  me  to  act  as  his  counsel ;  but 
I  thought  I  could  make  more  by  coming  down 


YACHTING   ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  Ill 

here,"  added  Cornwood.  "  I  lost  one  case  a  few 
days  ago,  and  I  don't  care  to  lose  another  yet 
awhile." 

Cornwood  laughed  as  he  alluded  to  his  defence 
of  Griffin  Leeds,  the  mulatto  employed  by  him  to 
do  his  bidding  on  our  excursion  to  the  interior. 

"  Have  you  any  doubt  that  Buckner  is  the  man 
who  robbed  the  messenger  of  the  four  thousand 
dollars?"  I  asked,  rather  to  bring  him  out  than 
because  I  valued  his  opinion  in  a  detective  case. 

"  Not  the  slightest  in  the  world ;  but  I  should 
not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  he  gave  Nick  a 
hundred  dollars,  or  something  of  that  sort,  to 
clear  out  at  just  this  time,"  replied  Cornwood, 
easily. 

"I  don't  see  how  that  could  have  been,"  I  pro- 
tested. "  Njck  could  not  have  seen  Buckner  after 
the  money  was  stolen,  unless  he  visited  him  in  the 
lock-up." 

"That  was  easily  enough  done." 

"  But  some  officer  would  have  heard  what 
passed  between  them.  Besides,  Buckner  had  no 
money,  for  none  was  found  upon  him  when  he  was 
arrested." 

"  Buckner  hid  the  money,  but  he  stowed  away 


112  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

enough  to  see  him  through  the  trial.  As  the  case 
now  stands,  they  can't  convict  the  man,  for  Nick 
was  the  most  important  witness.  He  saw  Buckner 
take  the  money.  I  have  no  doubt  Buckner 
will  be  discharged  to-day,"  said  Cornwood,  con- 
fidently. 

"  Was  that  the  reason  you  would  not  act  as  his 
counsel  ? "  I  asked,  for  the  late  pilot's  statements 
seemed  to  be  contradictory. 

w  What  you  have  told  me,  Captain  Garningham, 
entirely  changes  my  opinion.  You  were  present, 
and  you  have  told  me  exactly  how  the  afl'air  hap- 
pened. I  supposed  Peverell  saw  Buckner  take 
the  package.  That  makes  all  the  difference  in  the 
world  in  a  court  of  law.  No  one  saw  Buckner 
take  the  money,  according  to  your  evidence, 
except  Nick.  The  supposed  robber  was  arrested 
down  the  wharf;  he  was  searched,  all  the  holes 
and  corners,  including  the  river,  were  searched 
for  the  package,  but  it  could  not  be  found.  What 
evidence  is  there  that  Buckner  took  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  see  any,  except  that  of  Nick  Boomsby ; 
and  he  don't  tell  his  story  twice  alike,"  I  replied. 
"But,  if  Buckner  did  not  take  the  money,  I  can't 
see  who  did  take  it.  I  saw  the  messenger  lay  the 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  113 

package  on  the  counter ;  and  the  next  thing  I  saw 
was  Nick  leaping  over  the  counter." 

"I  don't  say  that  Buckner  did  not  take  the 
package ;  on  the  contrary,  I  believe  he  did  take 
it ;  only  there  is  not  evidence  enough  to  convict 
him  without  Nick,"  argued  Cormvood.  "If  I  had 
known  that  Nick  was  to  be  out  of  the  way,  I  cer- 
tainly should  have  taken  the  case,  for  a  man  who 
has  stolen  four  thousand  dollars  can  afford  to  pay 
the  lawyer  well  who  gets  him  out  of  the  scrape." 

I  was  disgusted  with  this  logic,  though  it  was 
perfectly  consistent  with  all  I  knew  of  the  man. 
I  did  not  care  to  say  anything  more  about  the 
case. 

"  After  hearing  your  version  of  the  affair,  Cap- 
tain Garningham,  I  am  inclined  to  return  to  Jack- 
sonville this  afternoon,  and  offer  my  services  to 
the  prisoner.  When  he  gets  out  of  jail  he  will 
have  money  enough  to  pay  me  handsomely," 
chuckled  the  lawyer ;  "  but  perhaps  I  can  do 
something  better  if  I  can  recover  Colonel  Shepard's 
lost  steam-yacht." 

"Do  you  think  you  can  recover  it?  "I  asked, 
curiously. 

"I  am  quite  confident  I  can.    I  suppose  you  will 


114  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

sail  as  soon  as  the  weather  will  permit?"  con- 
tinued Corn  wood. 

"We  shall.  As  I  said,  I  am  convinced  that 
Captain  Blastblow  has  simply  misunderstood  his 
orders.  I  thmk  he  will  'proceed  directly  to  New 
Orleans,  possibly  touching  at  Key  West." 

"  He  will  certainly  put  in  at  Key  West ;  but  he 
will  probably  be  from  ten  to  twenty  hours  ahead 
of  the  Sylvania,  and  he  will  not  wait  for  you.  I 
should  like  to  see  Colonel  Shepard." 

I  called  the  colonel  up  from  the  cabin,  and  as 
it  was  raining  in  torrents,  I  conducted  him  and  the 
lawyer  to  my  stateroom. 

"For  two  -hundred  dollars  —  I  can't  work  for 
nothing,  and  find  myself,  though  I  should  be  glad 
to  do  so  for  Colonel  Shepard — I  will  recover  and 
return  your  yacht  to  you  at  Key  West,  or  at  some 
point  this  side  of  there ;  half  down  to  pay  my 
expenses,  and  half  when  the  Islander  is  delivered 
to  you,"  said  Cornwood. 

"  I  haven't  much  confidence  in  you,  Mr.  Corn- 
wood,  and  I  don't  care  to  advance  any  money  to 
you,"  replied  the  owner  of  the  lost  steamer. 

"Quite  natural,  colonel.  I  will  do  it  without 
any  advance.  But  in  half  an  hour  it  will  be  too 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  115 

late  to  do  anything,"  replied  Cornwood,  not  at  all 
repelled  by  the  colonel's  lack  of  confidence  in  him. 
"  I  must  be  in  Cedar  Keys  to-morrow  night ;  and 
I  must  be  in  Jacksonville  this  evening  in  order  to 
do  it.  I  shall  get  to  Key  West  Sunday  morning, 
and  find  the  Islander  there." 

The  plan  was  considered  at  length,  and  finally 
the  colonel  assented  to  it,  and  wrote  the  instruc- 
tions for  Cornwood.  He  hastened  on  shore. 


116  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTER  X. 

INTELLIGENCE    OF    THE    ISLANDER. 

TT  rained  very  hard  all  the  rest  of  the  day  and 
-*-  all  night,  and  it  continued  to  blow  heavily  until 
the  next  morning.  It  was  not  till  noon  that  the 
ocean  looked  quiet  enough  to  induce  us  to  take 
ladies  to  sea  again,  after  the  experience  of  the  day 
before.  We  had  lost  twenty-four  hours,  and  if  the 
Islander  had  not  put  in  at  some  inlet,  or  made  a 
lee  under  Cape  Canaveral,  was  half  way  to  Key 
"West.  It  was  useless  to  think  of  overtaking  her  on 
the  passage,  unless  she  had  spent  a  day  in  Mosquito 
Inlet. 

Colonel  Shepard's  letter  was  addressed  to  Cap- 
tain Blastblow,  though  it  was  an  open  one,  direct- 
ing him  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  Sylvania  at 
Key  West.  I  had  no  faith  in  Cornwood ;  but  I 
was  willing  to  believe  he  thought  he  could  inter- 
cept the  Islander  at  Key  West,  or  he  would  not 
have  gone  on  a  "  wild-goose  chase  "  at  his  own  ex- 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  117 

pense.  If  he  recovered  the  steam-yacht  he  would 
get  two  hundred  dollars  for  his  services ;  if  he 
failed,  he  would  get  nothing.  So  far  as  I  could 
see,  no  risk  was  incurred  by  the  colonel  in  allow- 
ing the  Floridian  to  go  on  this  mission. 

Ths  weather  was  delightful  after  we  got  outside 
of  the  harbor  of  St.  Augustine.  The  wind  was 
west,  and  the  air  was  as  balrny  as  summer.  We 
placed  easy-chairs  on  the  quarter-deck  for  the 
ladies.  The  long  swells  of  the  ocean  gave  a  steady 
and  regular  roll  to  the  vessel.  The  party  declared 
that  the  sail  was  "perfectly  delightful,"  and  they 
did  not  see  how  the  sea  could  be  so  angry  and 
savage  as  it  had  been  the  day  before. 

The  mate  noted  the  departure  from  St.  Augus- 
tine light  at  half-past  twelve,  I  had  a  chart  laid 
out  on  my  table  in  the  stateroom,  on  which  I  had 
marked  the  route  of  the  vessel  to  Key  West,  with 
.the  courses  and  distances,  in  red  ink.  It  was  our 
rule  to  heave  the  lead  every  hour,  though  the  Syl- 
vania  made  a  regular  average  of  ten  knots  an  hour 
when  she  was  not  hurried.  When  we  came  to  a 
point  of  land,  or  any  opening  in  the  coast,  we  could 
tell  what  it  was. 

According  to  the  Coast  Pilot,  which  was  always 


118  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

kept  on  the  shelf,  by  the  side  of  the  binnacle,  it 
was  eighty-five  miles  to  Cape  Canaveral.  In  just 
eight  hours  and  a  half,  if  we  made  our  ordinary 
speed,  we  should  be  abreast  of  this  cape.  We 
kept  as  close  to  the  coast  as  the  depth  of  water 
would  permit,  for  there  were  no  shoals  or  other 
dangers  to  fear.  If  we  went  out  far  enough,  we 
should  have  the  current  of  the  Gulf  Stream  against 
us. 

As  soon  as  we  were  fairly  on  our  course  I  began 
to  think  over  the  mission  of  Cornwood.  I  had  no 
doubt  that  he  was  a  rascal.  I  considered  whether 
or  not  it  would  be  possible  for  him  to  do  me  or 
Colonel  Shepard  any  harm,  on  the  one  hand,  or 
any  good  on  the  other.  He  had  received  no  money, 
and  was  to  receive  none  until  he  earned  it. 

He  was  to  arrive  at  Key  West  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing. The  Sylvania  would  not  be  likely  to  reach 
the  same  port  before  Sunday  noon.  If  the  Isl- 
ander had  kept  on  her  course  during  the  twenty- 
four  hours  we  had  been  at  anchor,  she  would  be 
likely  to  reach  Key  West  on  Saturday  afternoon. 
I  did  not  know  that  she  had  any  occasion  to  put  in 
there  at  all ;  if  she  had,  she  was  not  likely  to  re- 
main there  many  hours.  If  the  Islander  had  not  put 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  119 

in  at  any  port  during  the  storm,  Cornwood  would 
not  arrive  at  his  destination  until  after  she  had  de- 
parted. 

The  interesting  question  was  whether  she  had  or 
had  not  made  a  port  in  the  storm.  If  I  had  had 
no  ladies  on  board,  I  should  not  have  thought  of 
such  a  thing  as  going  into  St.  Augustine  on  account 
of  the  bad  weather.  Captain  Blastblow,  according 
to  his  own  statement,  was  a  thorough  seaman,  and, 
judging  by  my  own  feelings,  it  was  not  probable 
that  he  had  made  a  port. 

But  I  was  not  quite  satisfied  on  this  point,  and  I 
had  not  so  much  confidence  in  the  captain  of  the 
Islander  as  he  seemed  to  have  in  himself.  Our 
chart  indicated  only  one  port  where  he  could  have 
gone  in,  and  that  was  Mosquito  Inlet,  which  had 
hardly  water  enough  at  high  tide  to  allow  the  Isl- 
ander to  run  through  the  narrow  passage  that 
leads  from  Hillsboro  River  out  into  the  ocean. 
The  inlet  is  sixty-five  miles  from  St.  Augustine 
light. 

The  town  of  New  Smyrna  is  two  or  three  miles 
up  Hillsboro  River,  between  which  and  St.  Augus- 
tine and  Jacksonville  a  small  steamer  plies  reg- 
ularly. I  had  about  made  up  my  mind  to  run  up 


120  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

the  inlet  as  far  as  the  depth  of  water  would  permit, 
and  see  if  I  could  find  any  one  who  could  give  me 
any  information  in  regard  to  the  Islander.  I  had 
hardly  reached  this  conclusion  when  I  was  called 
to  dinner.  I  was  to  dine  in  the  cabin,  and  I  told 
the  party  what  I  intended  to  do. 

"  I  don't  care  to  have  you  delay  your  voyage  for 
me,  Captain  Alick,"  replied  Colonel  Shepard. 

"  We  started  out  to  catch  the  Islander,  and  I  am 
as  anxious  to  do  it  as  you  are,"  I  added. 

"I  suppose  you  wish  to  get  rid  of  us,"  inter- 
posed Miss  Edith. 

"Not  at  all ;  after  I  invited  you  to  make  the  trip 
with  us,  and  was  anxious  to  have  your  company,  I 
shall  not  be  in  Jiaste  to  get  rid  of  you.  On  the 
contrary,  it  must  be  that  you  wish  to  get  rid  of 
me,  or  you  would  not  have  chosen  to  go  in  the 
Islander." 

"Forgive  me,  Captain  Alick ;  I  did  not  mean  it," 
replied  the  fair  maiden.  "  But  we  are  so  comfort- 
able and  so  happy  that  we  shall  be  in  no  haste  to 
get  out  of  the  Sylvania." 

"Isn't  there  danger  in  going  into  such  a  place, 
Alick,"  asked  my  father. 

"  I  think  not,"  sir,  I  answered.      "  I  have  a  chart 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  121 

with  the  soundings  on  it,  and  I  am  sure  I  can  run 
into  the  inlet  in  the  day-time ;  and  it  will  not  be 
dark  at  seven,  when  we  get  there." 

No  further  objection  was  raised  to  my  plan. 
Just  before  the  time  set  for  reaching  the  point  off 
the  inlet,  all  hands  were  on  the  lookout  for  it. 
From  my  chart  I  learned  that  the  inlet,  on  account 
of  the  shifting  sand,  had  moved  to  the  southward 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  For  a  considerable 
distance  on  each  side  of  the  narrow  channel  leading 
into  the  inlet  and  river,  there  were  breakers,  such 
as  we  had  seen  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  and 
at  various  points  south  of  it. 

Washburn  was  the  first  to  discover  the  opening, 
and  point  it  out  to  me.  I  looked  on  the  shore  for 
a  couple  of  wrecks  whose  positions  were  laid  down 
on  the  chart ;  but  I  could  not  find  them.  The 
shoals  were  caused  by  the  sand  brought  out  of  the 
inlet  by  the  current  of  the  river.  The  bar  changed 
with  every  storm  ;  but  I  could  plainly  see  the  chan- 
nel, for  its  waters  were  less  disturbed  and  broken 
by  the  rollers  from  the  sea. 

"It  looks  a  little  risky,"  said  Washburn,  shaking 
his  head. 

"  I  think  not ;  the  tide  will  be  high  in  about  an 


122  UP    THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

hour,  and  that  will  give  about  eight  feet  and  a  half 
on  the  shoalest  places,"  I  replied.  "I  don't  think 
we  are  drawing  over  eight  feet  now." 

"  Eight  and  a  half,  sure.  We  might  scrape  over 
the  bottom  an  hour  from  now ;  but  we  shall  stick 
as  sure  as  we  run  into  that  narrow  channel.  The 
worst  place  is  just  on  the  edge  of  the  breakers." 

"  Sail  on  the  port  bow,  sir,"  said  Ben  Bowman. 

It  was  a  small  schooner,  which  I  thought  might 
be  a  fisherman.  She  was  headed  directly  for  the 
narrow  channel.  As  we  were  nearly  up  with  the 
opening,  I  rang  for  the  engineer  to  stop  and  back 
her.  But  the  little  schooner  had  to  beat  up,  and 
as  she  was  still  about  two  miles  off,  I  was  soon 
tired  of  waiting  for  her.  I  rang  to  go  ahead  again, 
and  headed  the  Sylvania  in  a  direction  to  intercept 
the  schooner.  A  few  minutes  brought  us  writhin 
hail  of  her. 

"  Schooner  ahoy  !  "  shouted  Washburn. 

"  On  board  of  the  steamer  !  "  replied  the  skipper 
of  the  craft. 

"Where  are  you  bound?"  demanded  the  mate. 

"  Into  New  Smyrna.    We  have  been  out  fishing." 

"  When  did  you  leave  the  town  ?  " 

"  This   morning,  at  four  o'clock.     Be  you   the 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  123 

steamer  that  tried  to  get  into  the  inlet  yesterday  ?  " 
asked  the  skipper,  as  we  were  now  within  easy 
talking  distance  of  him. 

"  Did  a  steamer  try  to  get  in  yesterday  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  or  I  wouldn't  say  so.  But  it  was 
not  full  tide  by  two  hours,  and  she  stuck  in  the 
sand  about  as  soon  as  she  got  in  between  the 
shoals." 

"What  did  she  do  then?" 

"She  waited  till  the  tide  lifted  her  and  then  she 
backed  out,  and  hooked  it  to  the  southward  as  fast 
as  she  could.  We  were  at  anchor  inside  of  the 
inlet,  and  saw  the  whole  of  it.  She  looked  just 
like  this  craft.  Plenty  of  fresh  fish  on  board?" 

At  my  request  Cobbington  bought  a  considerable 
quantity  of  sheeps-head  and  cavallo.  The  only 
fish  we  had  on  board  was  shad,  and  we  had  eaten 
that  so  much  during  the  past  month  that  we  were 
tired  of  it.  These  fresh  fish  were  therefore  a 
great  treat,  as  we  found  next  morning. 

We  started  the  engine  again,  satisfied  that  the 
Islander  had  not  gone  into  Mosquito  Inlet.  I  gave 
the  information  to  Colonel  Shepard. 

"  Then  Mr.  Corn  wood  will  not  be  likely  to  in- 
tercept the  Islander  at  Key  West,"  said  he. 


124  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

f '  Not  unless  she  put  in  at  some  other  port,  though 
I  know  of  none  where  she  could  have  made  a  harbor 
until  after  the  storm  was  over.  But  she  may  stop 
over  at  Key  West  a  day  or  two,"  I  replied.  "  It 
all  depends  upon  what  Captain  Blastblow  under- 
stands his  instructions  to  be." 

"  Cornwood  took  the  train  at  Jacksonville  for 
Cedar  Keys  this  morning,  and  will  be  there  this 
afternoon.  He  will  reach  Key  West  on  Sunday 
morning,"  added  the  colonel. 

"  We  shall  be  there  only  a  few  hours  later ;  and 
if  the  weather  is  favorable  we  may  get  there  as 
soon  as  the  messenger  you  sent." 

"  I  do  not  see  that  we  can  help  the  matter.  If 
Cornwood  don't  get  to  Key  West  in  season  to  in- 
tercept the  Islander,  he  will  lose  his  two  hundred 
dollars,  and  my  runaway  craft  will  continue  on  her 
way  to  New  Orleans." 

This  was. all  that  either  of  us  could  make  of  it, 
and  all  we  could  do  was  to  wait  till  we  got  to  Key 
West  for  further  information.  If  the  Islander  was 
twenty-four  hours  ahead  of  us,  it  was  useless  to 
attempt  to  overhaul  her.  The  Sylvania  was  a  great 
deal  more  comfortable  for  the  passengers  when  she 
went  along  at  her  ordinary  rate  than  when  she  was 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  125 

forced  up  to  twelve  knots  an  hour ;  and  I  was  not 
disposed  to  hurry  her  on  a  useless  mission.  My 
passengers  appeared  to  be  enjoying  themselves  all 
the  time.  I  could  not  see  how  they  could  help 
being  happy. 

Some  of  them  were  reading  books  from  the 
library  I  had  started  at  Detroit,  and  replenished  in 
several  places  on  the  route  to  the  South.  Others 
were  playing  various  games.  Mr.  Tiffany  and  my 
father  could  play  chess  all  day  long,  and  most  of 
the  night.  The  meals  were  served  as  elaborately 
as  at  a  first-class  hotel,  and  we  had  everything 
from  the  market  that  could  be  supplied  in  the  sum- 
mer in  the  northern  states.  I  was  decidedly  of  the 
opinion  that  our  passengers  had  nothing  to  worry 
about,  unless  Colonel  Shepard  could  be  excused 
for  worrying  about  his  steamer. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  first  watch  went  on  duty,  in 
charge  of  Washburn,  who  was  as  competent  to 
handle  the  vessel  as  I  was.  He  had  the  chart,  with 
the  courses  and  distances  marked  on  it.  When  I 
left  the  pilot-house,  Cape  Canaveral,  or  rather  the 
light  on  it,  was  in  sight.  At  nine  o'clock  we  were 
just  abreast  of  it,  which  proved  that  our  dead 
reckoning  was  correct.  From  this  point  the 


126  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

course  was  south  by  east,  one  hundred  and  five 
miles. 

As  soon  as  the  Sylvania  was  on  her  new  course, 
I  left  the  pilot-house,  where  I  had  gone  at  nine, 
and  turned  in.  I  had  slept  all  the  night  before, 
and  the  laughter  of  the  younger  of  the  pas- 
sengers on  the  hurricane-deck  above  me  did  not 
permit  me  to  sleep.  But  I  heard  Colonel  Shepard 
call  his  daughter  away  at  ten,  and  then  I  went  to 
sleep.  I  could  not  tell  how  long  I  had  slept  when 
the  stopping  of  the  steamer  waked  me. 

"What  schooner  is  that?"  shouted  Washburn, 
from  the  pilot-house. 

I  was  on  deck  soon  enough  to  hear  the  reply. 

"  The  Violet,  New  Orleans  to  New  York,"  came 
from  the  vessel  hailed. 

"  Did  you  see  a  small  steamer  about  the  size  of 
this  one  ?  "  asked  Washburn. 

"We  passed  one  about  three  hours  ago.  She 
looked  enough  like  you  to  be  the  same  vessel." 

"  Thanks,"  shouted  Washburn,  as  he  rang  the 
bell  to  go  ahead. 

I  looked  at  my  watch,  and  found  it  wanted  but  a 
few  minutes  of  twelve,  and  I  went  into  the  pilot- 
house. 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  127 


CHAPTER    XI. 

DIFFICULT   NAVIGATION. 

hours   ago,   which  means   that    the 

-*-  Islander  is  about  thirty  miles  ahead  of  us," 
said  Washburn,  when  I  went  into  the  pilot-house. 

"  She  must  have  put  in  somewhere,  and  it  was 
not  at  Mosquito  Inlet,"  I  replied.  ,  "  I  don't  quite 
understand  it." 

"I  think  I  do,"  added  Washburn,  as  he  called 
in  Buck  Lingley  and  gave  him  the  wheel. 

He  led  the  way  to  the  chart  on  the  shelf,  upon 
which  a  light  was  cast  from  the  binnacle.  He 
pointed  out  Matanzas  Inlet,  at  the  southern  point 
of  Anastasia  Island,  and  fifteen  miles  south  of  St. 
Augustine. 

"She  went  into  that  inlet,"  said  Washburn. 

"  But  there  isn't  water  enough  in  it  to-  float  the 
Islander,"  I  replied. 

"I  think  she  did  not  go  in  far,  if  at  all.  The 
wind  was  off  shore  yesterday,  and  under  the  lee 


128  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

of  the  land  there  is  no  sea  of  any  consequence,  ex- 
cept what  is  caused  by  the  rollers.  If  the  captain 
of  that  schooner  has  given  the  time  correctly,  it 
shows  that  the  Islander  went  to  sea  about  an  hour 
and  half  before  we  did.  That  will  put  her  thirty 
miles  ahead  of  us,"  Washburn  explained ;  and  his 
reasoning  seemed  to  be  correct. 

"The  Islander  put  in  somewhere,  or  she  would 
have  been  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  farther  on 
the  way  to  Key  West  than  we  are,"  I  added. 
"  She  did  not  stand  off  to  sea,  as  there  was  not 
the  least  need  of  that,  for  the  wind  has  been  off 
shore  since  we  carne  out  of  the  St.  Johns." 

"I  am  confident  we  are  right.  Now  the  ques- 
tion is,  shall  we  chase  her?"  asked  Washburn. 
"  She  is  thirty  miles  ahead  of  us ;  and  we  have 
nearly  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  make  to 
reach  Key  West." 

"There  is  no  wind  to-night  to  help  us,  and  it 
will  take  as  much  coal  to  get  the  two  extra  knots 
out  of  the  Sylvania  iv3  it  will  to  make  the  ordinary 
and  regular  ten  knots  an  hour,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  wear  and  tear  of  boiler  and  machinery,"  I  re- 
plied, musing. 

"  But  the  Islander  will  get  to  Key  West  before 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  129 

Corn  wood  does,  if  she  puts  in  there,  and  we  may 
miss  her  altogether." 

"I  should  like  to  get  near  enough  to  her  to 
watch  her  movements,"  I  added.  "I  think  if  we 
crowd  the  Sylvania  for  six  or  seven  hours  we  shall 
get  a  sight  of  her.  I  am  inclined  to  hurry  her." 

"I  am  decidedly  in  favor  of  it,  for  she  may 
escape  her  owner  altogether  if  we  don't  follow  her 
up." 

"  Eight  bells  !  All  the  port  watch  !  "  called  Buck 
Lingley,  who  had  been  relieved  at  the  wheel. 

I  went  on  deck,  and  when  Ben  Bowman  came 
up  I  told  him  I  wanted  him  to  give  the  vessel  all 
the  steam  she  would  carry.  There  was  a  light 
breeze  from  the  westward,  but  not  enough  to  help 
the  speed  of  the  steamer,  and  we  did  not  put  on 
any  sail.  I  took  my  place  at  the  wheel  while  Hop 
Tossford  was  the  lookout  on  the  topgallant  fore- 
castle. 

In  a  short  time  the  screw  began  to  buzz,  and 
when  Buck  and  Dyer  Perkins  went  below,  after 
heaving  the  lead,  the  Sylvania  was  making  eleven 
knots.  I  expected  her  to  do  better  than  this.  At 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the  starboard 
watch  were  called,  we  were  off  Indian  River  Inlet. 


130  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Nothing  had  been  said  about  trying  the  fish  since 
we  left  Jacksonville.  There  was  not  water  enough 

O 

in  Indian  Eiver  to  float  the  steamer,  and  I  gave  up 
all  thought  of  renewing  the  exciting  sport  we  had 
had  in  these  waters  when  we  came  over  from  the 
St.  Johns.  At  four  o'clock  I  turned  in  and  slept 
till  eight. 

I  found  the  barometer  had  been  dropping  again, 
and  the  wind  came  from  the  eastward,  which  was 
not  a  good  way  to  have  the  wind  while  we  were 
off  the  coast.  While  I  was  eating  my  breakfast, 
the  Sylvania  came  up  with  Jupiter  Inlet,  where 
Washburn  changed  the  course  to  south,  three- 
quarters  east.  The  log-slate  showed  that  we  had 
made  eleven  and  a  half  knots.  I  figured  up  the 
distances,  and  concluded  that  the  Islander  must  be 
about  twelve  miles  ahead  of  us.  I  did  not  give 
the  other  steamer  the  credit  of  making  more  than 
ten  knots  an  hour. 

The  wind  had  freshened  considerably  since  I 
left  the  deck  early  in  the  morning,  and  I  ordered 
all  sail  to  be  set.  Soon  after  the  log  showed  that 
we  were  making  twelve  knots,  which  was  about  the 
best  speed  we  had  ever  made.  We  kept  her  going 
at  this  rate  till  noon,  and  I  had  the  wheel  during 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  131 

the  time.  In  the  course  of  the  forenoon  we  had 
visits  from  all  the  passengers,  but  the  wind  was 
raw  and  cold,  and  they  did  not  remain  long  on 
deck. 

"  Sail,  ho ! "  shouted  Hop  Tossford,  from  the 
topgallant  forecastle. 

"Where  away?"  I  asked,  looking  ahead,  though 
as  it  was  not  clear  I  saw  nothing  distinctly. 

"Sharp  on  the  weather  bow,"  replied  the  look- 
out. 

I  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  could 
just  make  out  a  sail.  I  examined  it  through  the 
glass,  and  was  satisfied  it  was  the  Islander.  I 
had  calculated  that  we  ought  to  be  up  with  her  by 
noon ;  but  it  was  evident  to  me  that  her  captain 
had  been  hurrying  her,  as  I  did  not  anticipate  he 
would  do.  I  soon  assured  myself  that  she  was 
not  on  the  same  course  as  the  Sylvania.  She  was 
headed  at  least  a  point  more  to  the  westward.  We 
had  on  all  the  sail  it  was  prudent  to  carry,  and  Ben 
Bowman  declared  the  engine  was  doing  its  best. 

"We  have  been  gaining  on  her  every  hour,"  I 
said  to  the  mate.  "If  we  keep  on  we  shall  over- 
take her  in  a  few  hours,  though  she  is  making  her 
best  speed." 


132  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"But  she  is  going  more  to  the  westward  than 
we  are,"  added  Washburn,  looking  at  the  chase 
through  the  glass. 

"I  think  she  is  making  a  mistake,  for  I  should 
not  care  to  be  mixed  up  among  those  shoals  if  it 
comes  on  bad  weather ;  and  it  looks  like  it  now." 

"  The  wind  is  hauling  more  to  the  southward, 
and  I  shall  look  for  a  fog  before  night." 

We  kept  on  our  course  as  laid  down  in  the 
Coast-pilot,  without  regard  to  the  Islander.  I 
called  the  passengers  at  two  in  the  afternoon, 
when  we  again  changed  our  course  to  south,  quar- 
ter west,  to  show  them  the  Islander.  She  was  still 
headed  a  point  farther  to  the  westward  than  we 
were.  As  our  course  from  this  point  to  Key  West 
was  on  the  circumference  of  a  quarter-circle,  I  sup- 
posed Captain  Blastblow  only  intended  to  take  the 
shortest  way  by  keeping  inside  of  us,  and  I  did 
not  alter  anything.  But  I  was  confident  that  he 
would  have  to  run  outside  again  in  order  to  avoid 
the  shoals  of  Virginia  and  Biscay ne  Keys.  I  had 
studied  the  chart  carefully  every  day,  and  had 
found  places  where  there  was  not  more  than  four, 
or  even  more  than  two,  feet  of  water  at  low  tide, 
as  it  was  at  this  time. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  133 

At  four  o'clock  the  Islander  was  not  more  than 
a  mile  to  the  south  of  us,  though  she  was  two 
miles  nearer  shore  than  we  were.  We  were 
abreast  of  the  light-house  at  Cape  Florida,  and  I 
expected  to  intercept  the  Islander  when  she  came 
out  from  the  dangerous  shoals,  rendered  doubly 
dangerous  by  the  threatening  weather.  But  the 
other  steamer  gave  no  indications  of  changing  her 
course,  and  I  soon  saw  her  close  to  the  light- 
house. 

"She  seems  to  be  behaving  very  strangely,  Cap- 
tain Alick,"  said  the  mate,  as  we  wej*e  watching 
her  from  the  pilot-house. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  she  is  losing  time.  There 
are  shoals  and  rocks  just  to  the  southward  of  her," 
I  replied. 

"There  she  goes  about!"  exclaimed  Washburn, 
as  she  pointed  her  bow  to  the  eastward.  "I  think 
we  had  better  take  in  all  the  sail  we  carry,  for  we 
have  only  a  mile  of  southing  to  make  while  the 
other  steamer  makes  two  miles  of  easting." 

All  hands  were  called  for  this  duty,  for  the 
wind  was  coming  heavier  and  heavier  every 
minute.  The  mate  and  the  four  men  made  quick 
work  of  it.  The  Islander  carried  no  sail,  though 


134  UP  THE  EIVER;  OR, 

her  people  must  have  seen  the  Sylvania  two  hours 
before. 

"  I  am  glad  Captain  Blastblow  has  come  to  his 
senses,  and  is  standing  out  from  the  shore,"  I 
added.  "About  five  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the 
line  of  Keys,  which  form  part  of  a  circle,  from 
Cape  Florida  to  Pickle  Reef,  more  than  forty 
miles,  is  a  series  of  reefs  and  rocks.  There  is  a 
passage  between  the  reefs  and  the  Keys,  through 
which  vessels  of  light  draught  may  pass.  But  I 
believe  in  having  plenty  of  sea  room  when  the 
weather  looks  as  it  does  now." 

When  we  were  abreast  of  Cape  Florida  the 
Islander  suddenly  put  up  her  helm,  and  stood  off 
to  the  south-west.  This  movement  indicated  that 
she  had  no  intention  of  coming  any  nearer  to  the 
Sylvania.  I  was  perplexed  at  this  change  of 
course,  because  I  could  hardly  conceive  of  such 
a  thing  as  Captain  Blastblow  taking  the  inside 
route  in  that  threatening  weather.  There  was 
nothing  to  protect  his  vessel  from  the  heavy  seas, 
and  in  some  places  he  would  have  hardly  water 
enough  to  float  the  Islander. 

In  about  another  hour  Fowey  Rocks  were  be- 
tween the  two  vessels.  There  was  no  way  of  get- 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  135 

ting  out  of  the  inside  passage  except  that  by 
which  he  went  in,  or  at  the  southerly  end  of  the 
series  of  reefs. 

"It  looks  to  me  just  as  though  the  Islander 
wanted  to  keep  out  of  our  way,"  said  Washburn, 
when  we  had  settled  the  question  as  to  what  the 
Islander  intended  to  do. 

"That  had  not  occurred  to  me  before,"  I  replied. 
"Why  should  she  try  to  avoid  us?" 

"That's  what  bothers  me.  I  can't  see  the  least 
reason  for  such  conduct  on  the  part  of  her  cap- 
tain," added  the  mate. 

"  It  looks  to  me  like  very  risky  business  to  go 
into  such  a  place  as  that  with  a  south-east  gale 
threatening,"  I  continued,  as  I  went  to  the  shelf 
to  find  a  chart  of  the  Florida  reefs,  which  I  had 
carefully  studied.  "There  is  one  place  where  the 
Islander  will  have  only  six  feet  o.f  water  at  low 
tide,  perhaps  seven  and  a  half  or  eight  at  this  time 
of  tide.  I  think  she  will  have  to  get  in  behind  one 
of  the  Keys,  and  anchor  to  wait  for  the  tide  to  rise." 

"1  hope  nothing  will  happen  to  the  Islander.  I 
suppose  Captain  Blastblow  knows  what  he  is  about, 
and  probably  has  a  pilot  for  the  inside  of  the  reefs," 
said  Washburn. 


136  UP    THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

"If  it  was  good  weather,  it  would  be  another 
thing,  and  I  should  not  have  hesitated  to  follow 
him,  for  we  have  the  Coast  Pilot,  and  the  best 
charts  of  the  Coast  Survey." 

"It  is  getting  to  be  very  rough  out  here,"  added 
Washburn,  as  the  Sylvania  began  to  roll  heavily 
in  the  billows  that  swept  in  from  the  open  sea. 
Our  passengers  were  taking  their  afternoon  naps, 
but  they  soon  found  out  that  we  were  in  an  angry 
sea.  I  went  into  the  cabin  to  comfort  them. 
Mrs.  Shepard  wanted  to  know  if  we  could  not  put 
in  at  some  port,  as  we  had  done  on  Thursday. 

"There  is  no  port  we  can  enter  before  we  reach 
Key  West,  madam.  With  the  wind  as  it  is  now, 
and  blowing  hard,  I  am  afraid  to  go  any  nearer 
the  reefs  than  we  are  now." 

"  I  hear  that  a  great  many  vessels  are  wrecked 
on  the  Florida  Reefs,"  added  the  lady. 

"That  is  quite  true,  Mrs.  Shepard  ;  and  for  that 
reason  I  shall  not  approach  them  any  nearer  than 
we  are  now.  As  long  as  we  have  plenty  of  sea 
room,  I  do  not  apprehend  any  particular  danger." 

The  rain  began  to  fall  about  six,  and  the  weather 
was  so  thick  we  could  no  longer  see  the  Islander. 
The  last  time  we  had  seen  her  she  must  have  been 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  137 

some  miles  farther  to  the  northward  than  the  Syl- 
vania,  and  I  was  satisfied  that  Captain  Blastblow 
had  not  gained  anything  by  going  inside  of  the 
reefs.  As  I  made  it  out  from  the  chart,  he  had 
twice  been  obliged  to  go  to  the  eastward  over  two 
miles,  in  order  to  keep  in  the  deepest  water.  I 
suspected  that  he  had  been  aground,  and  had  to 
wait  for  the  tide ;  for  at  dark,  when  we  saw  the 
steamer  for  the  last  time,  we  were  at  least  five 
miles  farther  south. 

"We  will  keep  her  going  as  briskly  as  the 
heavy  sea  will  permit,  until  about  midnight ;  and 
then  we  will  ease  off  till  daylight.  Then  I  think 
we  shall  get  another  sight  of  the  Islander,"  I  said 
to  the  mate,  as  he  was  about  to  turn  in  at  eight. 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  danger  of  her  getting 
ahead  faster  than  we  do,"  replied  the  mate,  with 
a  yawn.  "I  believe  I  shall  sleep  well,  if  I  don't 
get  pitched  out  of  my  berth." 

He  was  leaving  the  pilot-house,  when  the  dis- 
tant report  of  a  gun  came  to  our  ears.  I  con- 
cluded at  once  that  the  Islander  was  in  trouble. 


138  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

THE  CALAMITY  ON  FRENCH  REEF. 

I  JUMPED  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Islander  had 
struck  on  one  of  the  shoals  I  had  noticed  on  the 

» 

chart,  and^the  heavy  sea  was  pounding  her  on  the 
bottom.  It  could  be  only  a  question  of  time  when 
she  would  knock  a  hole  in  her  bottom  and  go  to 
pieces.  Washburn  was  wide  awake  as  soon  as  he 
heard  the  gun,  and  giving  him  the  wheel,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  examine  the  chart. 

According  to  the  dead-reckoning  we  ought  to  be 
a  little  to  the  southward  of  French  Shoal.  While 
I  was  satisfying  myself  in  regard  to  our  position, 
another  gun  sounded  over  the  troubled  sea. 

"  That  can't  be  the  Islander's  gun,"  said  Wash- 
burn.  "  She  has  nothing  on  board  but  a  little 
yacht  gun,  and  the  piece  we  heard  is  a  six,  if  not  a 
twelve  pounder." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,  Bob.  The  sound  came 
from  the  leeward.  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  some 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  139 

vessel  in  distress  ;  and  we  must  do  something  for 
her.  Call  all  hands,"  I  continued,  as  I  took  the 
wheel,  and  headed  the  Sylvania  due  west  by  the 
compass. 

Though  it  was  not  foggy,  the  air  was  thick,  and 
I  could  see  nothing  ahead.  We  had  a  very  strong 
wind  on  our  port  quarter,  and  it  was  extremely 
dangerous  to  approach  the  reefs  from  the  wind- 
ward. In  a  moment  all  hands  were  on  deck,  ex- 
cept Moses  Brickland,  who  was  required  to  take 
the  engine  whenever  all  hands  were  called  on  an 
emergency.  I  directed  Hop  Tossford  to  take  the 
wheel,  and  keep  her  due  west.  I  asked  the  mate 
to  fire  our  little  yacht  gun,  in  answer  to  the  signals 
we  had  heard.  The  moment  the  report  sounded 
through  the  vessel  I  heard  Mrs.  Shepard  scream. 

I  told  the  chief  engineer  to  give  the  steamer 
about  half  speed,  and  hastened  into  the  cabin  to 
satisfy  the  passengers  that  nothing  had  happened 
to  us,  and  explain  what  we  were  doing.  Mrs. 
Shepard  assured  us  that  we  should  all  be  lost ;  but 
I  told  her  we  would  be  extremely  careful. 

I  asked  my  father,  Colonel  Shepard,  and  Owen 
to  come  on  deck,  leaving  Mr.  Tiffany  and  Gus 
Shepard  to  take  charge  of  the  ladies.  I  explained 


140  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

the  situation  to  them,  and  while  we  were  talking 
about  it  another  gun  was  heard  to  leeward.  It 
sounded  heavier  and  nearer  than  before,  and  I  was 
sure  the  signal  was  not  given  by  the  Islander. 

"  It  is  plain  enough  that  a  vessel  has  gone  ashore 
on  one  of  these  reefs,"  I  said.  "I  can  see  nothing 
ahead,  but  the  gun  sounds  in  this  direction." 

Before  the  words  were  fairly  out  of  my  mouth, 
a  sky  rocket  flashed  up  directly  over  our  bow.  We 
had  rockets  on  board,  and  I  directed  Ben  to  dis- 
charge one  of  them.  It  was  followed  by  another 
from  the  vessel  in  distress.  Then  some  Bengola 
lights  were  fired,  and  they  illuminated  the  sea  for  a 
mile  at  least  around  her.  Buck  Lingley  was  sound- 
ing, and  reporting  no  bottom.  I  told  the  engineer 
to  give  her  more  steam,  for  I  feared  the  people 
on  the  unfortunate  vessel  might  be  drowning,  and 
a  minute  might  save  a  life,  if  not  more.  As  long 
as  the  bright  Bengola  light  burned,  I  kept  the 
steamer  going  at  full  speed.  Most  of  the  dangerous 
reefs  were  marked  by  beacons,  or  at  least  the 
outer  range  of  the  reef  was  so  marked. 

The  sea  was  very  heavy,  and  Buck  Lingley  still 
reported  no  bottom.  He  used  a  hand  lead,  which 
measures  twenty  fathoms  of  depth.  The  Bengola 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  141 

light  soon  burned  out,  and  I  rang  the  speed-bell. 
This  reduced  our  rate  one  half.  But  it  seemed  to 
me  that  we  were  going  altogether  too  fast,  as  the 
strong  south-east  gale  was  driving  us  towards  the 
reefs.  I  rang  the  gong,  and  the  vessel  stopped. 

"  And  a  half  seventeen  ! "  shouted  Buck. 

"  The  water  is  shoaling,"  said  the  mate. 

"  By  the  mark  ten  !  "  called  the  leadsman. 

"  Get  out  some  rockets  and  Bengola  lights, 
Washburn,"  I  continued,  nervously.  "  The  people 
on  the  wreck  don't  even  give  us  a  light  to  steer 
by." 

"  And  a  half  seven  !  "  shouted  the  leadsman. 

I  rang  to  back  her,  for  she  shoaled  too  rapidly 
for  my  nerves.  I  told  the  mate  to  light  a  Bengola 
on  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit.  When  he  did  so  the 
brilliant  light  enabled  me  to  see  the  wreck  very 
distinctly,  and  less  than  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
Sylvania.  She  was  a  large  bark,  with  all  her  sails 
furled.  Her  captain  had  probably  taken  in  all  sail 
as  soon  as  the  vessel  struck  the  reef. 

The  chart  informed  me  there  were  rocks  only  a 
few  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  wreck 
was  headed  to  the  south-west,  but  this  could  not 
have  been  the  direction  in  which  she  was  sailing 


142  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

when  she  struck  the  reef.  On  that  course  she 
would  have  got  into  trouble  before. 

"  By  the  deep  seven  ! "  said  the  leadsman,  in  loud 
and  shrill  tones. 

I  rang  to  go  ahead  again,  and  at  the  same  time 
told  the  mate  to  keep  the  Bengola  lights  burning. 
Ben  Bowman  was  stationed  at  the  end  of  the  bow- 
sprit that  the  light  might  not  blind  his  eyes.  I  had 
purchased  a  plentiful  supply  of  fireworks  in  New 
York  for  festive  occasions,  and  we  were  in  no  dan- 
ger of  exhausting  them,  as  they  had  evidently  done 
on  the  wreck. 

"Give  her  about  ten  turns  a  minute,  Moses!" 
I  called  to  the  engineer  through  the  speaking- 
tube. 

"Ten  turns  a  minute  !"  he  replied,  to  make  sure 
that  I  had  been  understood. 

"Steady,  as  she  is,  Hop  !  "  I  said  to  the  wheel- 
man. "If  you  see  anything  like  a  buoy,  stop  and 
back  her  as  quick  as  you  can." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  wheelman. 

I  went  on  the  hurricane-deck  to  get  a  better 
view  of  the  wreck.  It  was  hard  to  stand  up  in 
that  part  of  the  vessel,  for  she  pitched  and  rolled 
very  badly,  while  she  was  making  so  little  head- 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  143 

way.  By  holding  on  at  the  railing,  I  got  to  a 
point  where  I  could  hug  the  foremast.  The  wreck 
was  very  low  down,  and  I  concluded  that  she  was 
full  of  water. 

"  And  a  half  six  !  "  said  Buck. 

This  was  thirty-nine  feet  of  water,  and  we 
were  in  no  danger  yet.  The  waves  were  beating 
over  the  deck  of  the  bark.  It  was  clear  enough 
that  she  must  go  to  pieces  before  morning.  Her 
bulwarks  were  stove  on  the  weather  side  of  her ; 
and  while  I  was  looking  at  her  the  foremast  went 
by  the  board.  I  saw  that  the  step  of  the  mast 
must  have  been  torn  away  by  grinding  upon  the 
rocks. 

We  were  within  a  hundred  feet  of  her  stern, 
and  the  billows  were  too  savage  to  permit  of 
going  any  nearer.  I  hastened  down  to  the  pilot- 
house, rang  to  stop  her,  and  then  to  back  her.  I 
intended  to  be  sure  that  we  had  full  control  of  the 
steamer  before  we  went  any  nearer.  I  found  that 
the  Sylvania  backed  well  against  the  head  sea, 
and  then  I  stopped  her  screw. 

In  an  instant  I  found  that  the  steamer  was  driv- 
ing towards  the  wreck.  I  rang  to  back  her  again, 
and  readily  checked  her. 


144  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

I  saw  that  the  only  way  I  could  approach  the 
unfortunate  vessel  was  to  get  under  her  lee.  The 
sea  was  altogether  too  rough  for  our  little  quarter 
boats,  though  both  of  them  were  life-boats.  By 
occasionally  backing  the  screw,  we  ran  within 
fifty  feet  of  the  wreck,  and  I  could  hear  the  roar 
of  the  gale  through  the  standing  rigging  of  the 
bark,  and  the  heavy  pounding  of  the  billows 
against  her  side. 

"  Steamer  ahoy  ! "  shouted  a  man  on  the  taffrail 
of  the  vessel. 

"On  board  the  bark!"  replied  Washburn,  on 
the  topgallant  forecastle.  "  What  is  the  condition 
of  the  vessel  ?  " 

"Our  forefoot  is  gone,  and  we  are  stove  through 
forward.  She  is  full  of  water,"  replied  the  man. 
"  She  is  grinding  on  the  reef,  and  will  go  to  pieces 
in  a  few  hours." 

"  How  much  water  have  you  under  your  lee  ? "  I 
shouted. 

"From  one  to  three  fathoms,"  replied  the  cap- 
tain of  the  bark,  as  we  judged  that  he  was. 

With  the  utmost  care  I  ran  the  Sylvania  under 
the  lee  of  the  bark ;  and  I  think  it  must  have 
taken  all  the  tact  of  Moses  Brickland  to  handle 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  145 

the  engine  in  accordance  with  the  bells  I  rang. 
But  as  soon  as  the  bow  of  the  steamer  was  under 
the  lee  of  the  bark  it  was  in  comparatively  smooth 
water.  From  the  statement  of  the  captain,  and 
the  depth  of  water  he  reported,  I  concluded  that 
one  of  the  sharp  spurs  of  rock  was  sticking 
through  her  bottom  near  where  her  forefoot  had 
been,  and  that  she  was  held  in  this  position  by  the 
reef.  Buck  kept  on  sounding,  and  reported  four 
fathoms  at  the  stern  of  the  wreck.  Cobbington 
was  now  in  charge  of  the  Bengolas,  and  Washburn 
was  getting  the  hawsers  ready  to  make  fast  to  the 
bark.  We  put  out  our  fenders,  and  the  mate 
heaved  a  line  into  the  waist  of  the  wreck.  Ben 
Bowman  did  the  same,  throwing  his  line  over  the 
stern.  The  lines  were  caught  by  the  seamen  on 
board,  and  made  fast. 

Though  the  water  was  fairly  still  at  the  leeward 
of  the  bark,  I  found  that  the  vessel  was  rolling 
badly,  and  greatly  endangering  the  safety  of  the 
Sylvania.  The  gale  was  driving  the  wreck  farther 
on  the  reef,  and  I  feared  that  the  mainmast  would 
go  by  the  board  and  fall  on  the  steamer. 

"All  aboard  that  are  going!"  I  shouted  at  the 
top  of  my  lungs,  as  I  stood  at  the  wheel,  ready  to 


146  UP  THE  EIVER;  OR, 

do  whatever  an  emergency  might  require.  The 
two  vessels  were  grinding  their  sides  together, 
and  nothing  but  our  fenders  saved  our  planks 
from  being  torn  off. 

The  men  on  board  the  bark  were  very  slow  in 
seeking  safety,  and  I  was  about  to  repeat  my  for- 
mer call,  when  I  saw  two  women  appear  on  the 
rail  by  the  mizzen  rigging.  Our  hands  hastened 
to  their  assistance,  and  as  the  bark  was  so  low  in 
the  water  they  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  them  on 
our  hurricane-deck.  As  soon  as  they  were  safely 
•on  board,  the  men  poured  in  upon  us  without  fur- 
ther delay.  There  was  not  one  among  them  that 
would  leave  the  wreck  until  the  women  were 
safe.  The  officers  and  seamen  brought  with 
them  whatever  they  could  carry  of  their  per- 
sonal property.  One  of  them  returned  and  cast 
off  the  hawsers. 

As  soon  as  the  fasts  were  cast  off,  I  rang  to 
back  her;  and,  bringing  the  Sylvania's  head  up 
to  the  wind,  I  wore  her  gradually  around  till  she 
was  headed  to  the  eastward.  The  sea  was  white 
with  foam  from  the  raging  billows,  and  the  little 
steamer  leaped  like  an  antelope  as  she  went  ahead 
on  her  course.  It  was  impossible  to  stani  up  in 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  147 

any  part  of  her.  I  ran  out  about  four  miles  to  the 
eastward,  where  the  steamer  was  when  we  heard 
the  signal-gun  from  the  wreck.  We  had  been  ab- 
sent on  our  run  to  the  reef  about  two  hours.  We 
laid  our  course  as  before,  and  I  gave  the  wheel 
to  Hop  Tossford,  that  I  might  attend  to  the 
wants  of  the  shipwrecked  guests  on  board. 

The  Sylvania  was  rolling  on  her  new  course  at 
a  frightful  rate,  and  our  deck  was  deluged  with 
water  every  moment.  The  gale  seemed  to  be 
increasing  rather  than  diminishing,  and  I  was  not 
sure  how  long  we  could  stand  such  a  tumbling 
about  as  we  were  getting.  With  no  little  difficulty 
and  exertion  we  got  a  reefed  foresail  up,  which 
steadied  her  very  much.  I  went  down  into  the 
cabin,  where  I  had  sent  the  ladies  from  the  wreck. 
I  found  our  passengers  propped  up  in  such  ways 
as  they  could  devise  to  keep  from  being  hurled 
across  the  cabin  floor  at  each  roll  of  the  vessel. 
The  strangers  seemed  to  be  quite  at  home,  and 
were  relating  their  adventures  to  the  other  ladies, 
who  were  listening  with  so  much  interest  that 
they  appeared  to  have  forgotten  the  Sylvania  was 
laboring  in  a  very  heavy  sea.  I  saw  that  I  was 
not  wanted  there.  I  went  on  deck,  and  found 


148  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

that  the  sailors  from  the  wreck  were  stowed  away 
in  the  dryest  places  they  could  find. 

I  invited  them  all  down  into  the  forward  cabin, 
and  assigned  the  mate  to  the  spare  berth  there. 
The  others  must  sleep  on  the  floor,  for  we  could 
do  nothing  better  for  them. 

"Mr.  Mate,  where  is  your  captain?"  I  asked. 

"I  don't  think  he  came  below,  sir.  He  is  feel- 
ing very  badly  about  the  loss  of  his  vessel,"  re- 
plied the  mate.  "I  Avill  try  to  find  him." 

He  went  on  deck  with  me,  and  we  found  him 
coiled  away  under  the  topgallant  forecastle.  I  in- 
vited him  to  come  into  the  pilot-house,  and  he 
followed  me  thither. 

"I  am  sorry  for  your  misfortune,  Captain,"  I 
said,  when  he  had  seated  himself  abaft  the  wheel. 

"It  is  a  sorry  night  for  me.  My  vessel  is  lost, 
and  I  have  not  the  least  idea  how  it  happened," 
he  replied,  very  sadly. 

I  did  my  best  to  comfort  him.  I  saw.  that  he 
was  quite  as  much  exhausted  by  his  mental  suf- 
ferings as  by  his  physical  exertions.  I  conducted 
him  to  my  state-room,  and  gave  him  my  berth. 
In  a  short  time  he  was  asleep. 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  149 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A   NIGHT   LOST    IN   THE    STORM. 

AT  eleven  o'clock  we  changed  the  course  of 
the  Sylvania  to  south-west  half- west,  which 
brought  the  gale  nearly  on  the  beam.  The  wind 
was  blowing  but  little,  if  anything,  short  of  a 
hurricane.  The  great  billows  struck  against  the 
side  of  the  vessel  and  the  house  on  deck  with 
tremendous  force.  It  seemed  just  as  though  im- 
mense boulders  were  hurled  against  the  planking 
that  enclosed  my  state-room,  the  galley,  and  the 
engine-room.  The  sea  swept  over  the  hurricane- 
deck,  and  struck  heavily  upon  the  planks  over- 
head. 

Suddenly  I  heard  a  noise  over  my  head,  as 
I  stood  at  the  wrheel,  which  sounded  like  the 
report  of  a  heavy  cannon.  I  thought  the  sea  had 
broken  a  hole  through.  In  another  instant  the 
steamer  was  rolling  with  double  the  violence  of  a 
few  minutes  before. 


150  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

"What  was  that  noise,  Hop? "I  asked,  when 
I  saw  that  no  water  was  pouring  down  upon  us. 

"  It  was  the  foresail,  sir ;  it  has  been  blown  out 
of  the  bolt-ropes,"  replied  Hop,  coolly ;  and  he 
seemed  to  be  incapable  of  anything  like  fear. 
"We  have  lost  the  reefed  foresail,  and  that  is 
what  makes  her  roll  so  much  worse  than  she  did 
five  minutes  ago." 

Undoubtedly  he  was  right.  The  sail  had 
steadied  her  more  than  we  could  have  imagined ; 
and  now  she  rolled  like  a  log  in  a  mill-race.  The 
sea  struck  the  side  of  my  state-room  as  though  a 
rock  weighing  a  ton  had  been  cast  against  it  by 
some  giant  of  the  sea  or  the  storm.  I  was  afraid 
our  house  on  deck  would  be  carried  away  by  the 
tempest. 

On  board  of  a  large  vessel,  the  loss  of  a  house 
on  deck  was  a  matter  of  no  serious  consequences. 
It  was  entirely  different  with  the  Sylvania,  for  the 
loss  of  it  would  open  the  hold  to  the  entrance 
of  the  sea.  The  deluge  of  water  would  put  out 
the  fire  in  the  furnaces,  disabling  the  engine. 
The  result  must  be  the  loss  of  the  vessel  and  all 
on  board  of  her.  I  trembled  when  I  thought  of  it. 
Another  mountain  billow  struck  the  house  a  little 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  151 

farther  aft.  I  was  not  willing  to  wait  for  another 
sea  to  strike  her  in  what  I  regarded  as  her  weakest 
point,  and  we  put  the  helm  down.  We  must  give 
up  our  course  for  the  safety  of  the  vessel. 

The  steamer  made  a  terrible  plunge  as  we 
shifted  the  helm,  but  we  soon  got  her  across  the 
sea.  Now  she  pitched  instead  of  rolling.  I  called 
to  the  engineer,  through  the  speaking-tube,  to 
give  her  but  about  half  speed,  for  it  made  her 
labor  more  heavily  to  drive  her  into  the  seas.  I 
calculated  that  this  rate  of  speed  would  keep  her 
about  stationary  on  the  water.  I  soon  found  that 
she  was  falling  astern.  I  directed  the  engineer  to 
give  her  more  steam.  I  soon  gauged  it  so  that  she 
had  headway  enough  to  keep  her  up  to  the  seas 
without  forcing  her  through  them.  A  sort  of 
equilibrium  was  established,  which  gave  her  an 
easier  position,  though  it  was  by  no  means  an  easy 
one.  Her  bow  rose  so  that  the  deck  must  have 
been  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  and  then 
she  dived  down  from  the  top  of  a  big  wave  at 
about  the  same  angle. 

Our  port  and  starboard,  as  well  as  the  mast- 
head light  were  burning,  and  we  had  closed  in  the 
pilot-house,  so  that  we  could  see  nothing  ahead. 


152  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

But  I  found  the  steamer  was  manageable  when  I 
had  got  her  head  to  the  sea,  and  I  sent  Hop  Toss- 
ford  to  call  the  mate  and  Buck  Lingley.  I  could 
not  tell  what  might  happen,  and  I  felt  that  all 
hands  should  be  on  deck.  I  wondered  they  had 
not  put  in  an  appearance  before.  But  they  were 
all  used  to  this  sort  of  thing,  for  we  had  been 
through  a  tempest  almost  as  bad  in  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence,  and  several  milder  ones  at  other 
times. 

The  water  swashed  fore  and  aft,  but  no  longer 
pounded  against  the  house  on  deck.  It  poured 
over  the  bow,  so  that  it  was  not  safe  to  put  a  man 
on  the  lookout  there.  The  only  thing  we  had  to 
fear  while  we  were  lying-to  in  this  manner  was 
a  collision  with  some  other  vessel.  The  water 
poured  into  the  pilot-house  so  that  we  could  not 
keep  the  windows  open.  I  sent  Buck  to  the 
hurricane-deck,  with  directions  to  lash  himself  to 
the  foremast,  and  keep  under  the  shelter  of  the 
dome  of  the  pilot-house.  When  I  had  done  this, 
and  heard  Buck  on  the  deck  over  me,  I  felt 
that  I  had  met  the  last  and  most  imminent  danger 
of  the  hour. 

Though  the  steamer  was  still  laboring  heavily 


YACHTING   ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  153 

against  the  tremendous  head  seas,  she  appeared  to 
be  holding  her  position  in  safety.  I  gave  the 
helm  to  Washburn  and  Ben  Bowman,  for  it  re- 
quired two  to  move  the  wheel  promptly  in  that 
violent  sea,  and  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  cabin, 
for  I  supposed  the  passengers  were  enduring  tor- 
ments of  suspense  and  terror. 

On  the  way  I  looked  into  my  state-room.  The 
captain  of  the  wrecked  bark  appeared  to  be  still 
asleep,  and  I  did  not  disturb  him.  Following  one 
of  the  life-lines  we  always  bent  on  in  a  gale,  I 
reached  the  after  companion-way.  Like  every- 
thing in  the  shape  of  an  opening  on  deck,  it  was 
securely  fastened.  But  I  had  a  key,  and  de- 
scended the  cabin-stairs,  locking  the  door  behind 
me.  Most  of  the  passengers  were  still  up.  Some 
had  retired  to  their  berths,  though  probably  not  to 
sleep. 

My  father  and  Mr.  Tiffany  were  playing  chess, 
and  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  disturbed  by  the  war 
of  the  elements.  Colonel  Shepard  was  holding  his 
wife  upon  a  sofa,  and  Owen  and  Gus  were  sky- 
larking in  the  after-part  of  the  cabin. 

"Isn't  it  terrible,  Captain  Alick?"  asked  Mrs. 
Shepard,  in  trembling  tones. 


154  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  I  must  say  it  was  about  as  bad  as  anything 
I  ever  was  out  in,  though  we  had  it  about  as  bad 
once  on  Lake  Superior,"  I  replied,  as  cheerfully 
as  the  occasion  required. 

"  Do  you  think  there  is  any  danger  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  just  now,"  I  answered. 
"The  steamer  is  working  very  well  at  present, 
much  better  than  she  was  an  hour  ago." 

"  I  thought  the  water  would  break  through  upon 
us  at  one  time,"  added  the  nervous  lady. 

"  I  was  afraid  it  would.  We  had  our  foresail 
blown  out  of  the  bolt-ropes,  and  she  made  bad 
work  of  it  after  that.  But  we  have  laid  her  to 
now,  and  she  is  behaving  as  well  as  any  vessel 
of  this  size  can  in  such  a  sea." 

"  When  do  you  suppose  it  will  be  over  ?  "  asked 
the  lady,  anxiously. 

"It  is  a  south-east  gale,  or  rather  hurricane, 
and  probably  it  will  not  last  long.  I  shall  look 
for  better  weather  by  sunrise,  if  not  before,"  I 
replied,  as  I  left  the  cabin. 

On  my  way  back  to  the  pilot-house  I  stopped 
in  at  the  engine-room.  I  found  Moses  Brickland, 
seated  on  his  leather-cushioned  divan,  watching 
the  movements  of  the  engine.  Notwithstanding 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  155 

the  uneasy  movement  of  the  vessel  the  machinery 
seemed  to  be  working  very  regularly. 

"How  does  she  go,  Moses?  "  I  asked. 

w  She  has  done  very  well  since  you  headed  her 
up  to  the  sea,"  he  answered,  without  taking  his 
gaze  from  the  engine.  "At  one  time  I  thought 
the  sea  would  break  in  upon  us  and  swamp  the 
fires.  It  would  have  been  all  up  with  us  then." 

"  I  felt  so  myself,  and  I  headed  her  up  to  the 
sea  when  I  saw  that  it  was  no  longer  safe  to  keep 
her  on  her  course.  But  I  suppose  you  want  to 
turn  in,  Moses." 

"I,  no ;  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  to  keep  my 
place  here  till  morning,"  he  replied. 

"  I  want  Ben  Bowman  at  the  wheel,  with  Wash- 
burn.  She  steers  so»hard  in  this  sea  that  we  need 
to  change  hands  every  hour.  But  I  hope  we  shall 
soon  be  able  to  relieve  you,"  I  added. 

"  I  don't  have  very  hard  work,  and  I  can  stand 
it  very  well  till  morning." 

I  returned  to  the  wrheel-house.  It  was  about 
two  bells,  or  one  in  the  morning.  The  tempest 
had  not  increased  in  the  last  hour,  and  I  hoped 
we  had  seen  the  worst  of  it.  We  were  working 
the  engine  just  enough  to  keep  the  steamer's  head 


156  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

up  to  the  sea.  The  Sylvania  behaved  so  well  in 
her  present  position  that  I  dismissed  the  port 
watch  at  two  in  the  morning ;  but  I  could  not 
think  of  turning  in  myself  while  there  was  any 
possibility  of  trouble  ahead.  I  remained  in  the 
pilot-house  with  Washburn,  while  Buck  Lingley 
was  on  the  lookout  on  the  hurricane-deck.  We 
held  our  position  till  about  four  in  the  morning, 
when  it  was  evident  that  the  gale  was  breaking, 
though  the  sea  was  still  very  heavy. 

"  Light  on  the  port  quarter,"  said  Buck,  at  one 
of  the  small  windows  of  the  pilot-house  in  front 
of  his  station. 

I  rushed  over  to  the  port  side,  but  the  windows 
were  so  covered  with  water  that  I  could  see 
nothing.  It  was  raining  hard,  as  it  had  been 
since  midnight.  I  went  on  deck,  grasping  a  life- 
line to  keep  me  from  being  knocked  over  by  the 
flood  -  of  water  that  flowed  down  from  the  fore- 
castle. I  reached  the  ladder  and  went  up  to  the 
hurricane-deck. 

I  supposed  the  light  the  lookout  had  seen  was 
on  some  vessel.  It  was  at  least  ten  miles  dis- 
tant ;  and  after  a  time  I  satisfied  myself  that  it 
was  a  revolving  light.  It  also  flashed,  and  I  was 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  157 

confident  it  was  eight  or  ten  miles  distant.  I 
was  rather  bewildered,  for  I  had  not  expected  to 
find  a  light  in  that  direction.  I  hastened  down 
to  the  pilot-house  to  consult  the  Coast  Pilot.  I 
reviewed  the  course  we  had  followed  after  leaving 
the  wrecked  bark.  By  our  reckoning  we  were 
about  twenty  miles  to  the  southward  of  Carysfort 
Light  when  we  headed  the  steamer  to  the  east- 
ward. 

We  had  kept  the  screw  turning  all  the  time, 
and  I  supposed  we  had  been  making  some  head- 
way during  the  five  hours  we  had  been  on  this 
tack.  What  was  the  light,  then  ? 

We  were  headed  directly  into  the  Bahama 
Islands,  and  I  knew  we  had  not  gone  far  enough 
to  place  any  light  in  those  islands  on  our  port 
quarter.  The  description  in  the  book  of  Carysfort 
Light  corresponded  with  what  I  had  made  out  by 
observation. 

"We  are  about  ten  miles  to  the  south-east  of 
Carysfort  Light,"  I  said  to  Washburn,  when  I  had 
satisfied  myself  of  the  fact. 

"  Impossible  !  That  would  put  us  about  where 
we  were  when  you  called  all  hands  last  night ! " 
exclaimed  the  mate. 


158  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

"  The  Light  is  about  where  it  was  when  we 
began  to  go  to  the  southward  at  ten  last  evening," 
I  replied. 

"  But  we  have  been  going  to  the  southward  and 
eastward  for  the  last  five  hours." 

"  It  does  not  appear  that  we  have  gone  at  all," 
I  continued,  looking  over  the  pages  of  the  book. 
"We  have  been  drifting  all  the  time.  The  steamer 
is  in  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  that,  with  the  fierce 
wind,  has  carried  her  a  long  distance  from  where 
I  supposed  she  was.  I  find  that  in  a  strong  east- 
erly wind  the  Gulf  Stream  sets  to  the  westward, 
and  runs  in  among  the  Keys.  I  have  no  doubt 
now  that  this  is  the  reason  why  the  bark  struck 
last  night  on  the  rocks  to  the  southward  of  French 
Keef." 

"  It  appears  from  what  you  say  that  we  have 
not  carried  steam  enough  to  prevent  us  from  being 
drifted  to  the  westward  as  well  as  to  the  north- 
ward," added  Washburn. 

"  That  is  the  fact :  we  have  been  drifting  about 
north-northwest.  In  a  few  hours  more  we  should 
have  been  on  the  reef.  Ring  the  speed-bell." 

It  was  plain  enough  by  this  time,  when  it  was 
almost  broad  daylight,  that  the  force  of  the  gale 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  159 

« 

was  spent.  In  less  than  an  hour  the  wind  subsided 
entirely,  and  the  wind  whirled  to  the  south,  then 
to  the  west,  and  finally  settled  in  the  north-west. 
We  made  our  course  to  the  southward.  The 
clouds  rolled  away,  and  the  sun  rose  bright  and 
beautiful  after  one  of  the  hardest  nights  I  had  ever 
known. 

The  wind  began  to  freshen  from  the  north-west, 
and  at  six  o'clock  we  had  all  sail  on  her.  We 
all  wondered  what  had  become  of  the  Islander. 
Captain  Blastblow  was  evidently  well  acquainted 
with  the  navigation  of  the  Florida  Eeefs,  or  he 
would  not  have  taken  his  vessel  through  the  dan- 
gerous channel  he  had  chosen.  But  I  was  too 
tired  to  talk  much,  and  I  slept  an  hour  in  Wash- 
burn's  berth  until  breakfast-time.  When  I  waked, 
I  found  the  captain  of  the  bark  sitting  in  a  chair 
in  the  state-room. 


160  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 


CHAPTEE    XIV. 

LOOKING   FOR   THE   ISLANDER. 

rilHE  captain  of  the  bark  was  a  man  of  about 
-•-  fifty.  He  was  bald,  and  his  hair  and  whis- 
kers were  sprinkled  with  gray.  I  had  no  doubt 
that  the  violent  storm  had  made  an  end  of  his 
vessel,  for  the  wreck  was  exposed  to  the  full  fury 
of  the  sea,  tenfold  more  violent  after  we  left  it 
than  before. 

"Good  morning,  Captain  ;  I  hope  you  are  quite 
well  this  morning,"  I  began. 

"I  am  well  enough,  thank  you;  but  I  cannot 
forget  that  I  have  lost  my  ship,"  he  replied. 
"  You  had  a  rough  night  of  it  on  deck ;  and  I 
don't  think  I  ever  knew  a  vessel  to  pitch  and  roll 
so  badly  as  this  one  did." 

"  It  was  a  terrible  blow,  and  this  is  a  very  small 
vessel,  though  she  is  as  strong  as  wood  and  irpn 
could  make  her.  If  she  had  not  been  well  built; 
the  sea  would  have  taken  the  house  off  this  deck." 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  161 

"I  thought  it  was  going  to  do  so  as  it  was.  I 
think  she  was  exceedingly  well  handled,  or  she 
would  have  gone  to  the  bottom,"  continued  the 
captain.  "  I  have  no  doubt  there  are  scores  of 
wrecks  along  the  Keys  this  morning,  and  many  a 
good  fellow  may  miss  his  mess  after  this." 

I  gave  him  a  full  account  of  the  storm,  and  of 
our  being  carried  so  far  out  of  our  course  by  the 
wind  and  the  current.  I  told  him  that  we  had 
been  delayed  so  long  by  the  wreck  and  the  storm 
that  we  probably  should  not  reach  Key  West  till 
three  or  four  in  the  afternoon. 

"  I  suppose  we  shall  be  lucky  to  get  there  at  all 
after  all  that  has  happened  to  us,"  replied  the  cap- 
tain. "What  you  say  about  drifting  so  far  out  of 
your  course  strikes  me  as  being  a  little  strange." 

"What  was  the  name  of  your  vessel,  Captain? 
—  J  have  not  even  learned  your  name,"  I  con- 
tinued. I  intended  to  point  out  to  him  the  way  in 
which  the  bark  had  been  lost ;  but  I  wanted  to 
know  something  mo're  about  the  voyage  of  the 
unfortunate  vessel. 

"Captain  Mayfield ;  and  the  bark  was  the  Olive, 
of  New  York,  from  New  Orleans,  with  a  cargo  of 
cotton  from  the  latter  port,"  replied  the  captain. 


162  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"I  owned  a  third  of  her  myself;  but  she  is  well 
insured,  and  so  is  her  cargo.  My  wife  and 
daughter  were  with  me,  and  are  now  in  the  after 
cabin." 

"  I  think  you  were  fortunate  to  escape  with  your 
lives,"  I  added. 

"I  know  we  were,  Captain  —  I  don't  know 
your  name  any  better  than  you  did  mine ;  and  it 
strikes  me  that  you  are  a  very  young  fellow  to  be 
in  command  of  a  steamer,  though  she  is  a  very 
small  one." 

"My  name  is  Alexander  Garningham,  and  I  am 
generally  called  Captain  Alick.  I  have  been  on 
the  water  most  of  the  time  since  I  was  ten  years 
old,  either  on  the  sea  or  on  the  great  lakes.  I 
have  had  as  rough  a  time  on  Lake  Superior  as  we 
had  last  night,  if  not  a  rougher."  I  told  my  story 
as  briefly  as  I  could. 

"Your  education  has  not  been  neglected,  Cap- 
tain Alick,"  continued  'Captain  Mayfield.  "  If  you 
had  not  managed  the  Sylvania  so  well  last  night, 
most  of  us  must  have  perished ;  for  I  have  no 
doubt  that  the  Olive  went  to  pieces  before  mid- 
night. She  was  a  well-built  vessel,  but  rather 
old.  The  gale  kept  forcing  her  up  to  the  sharp 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  163 

coral  rocks,  and  she  was  grinding  off  her  timbers 
at  a  very  rapid  rate  when  we  left  her.  If  there 
had  been  any  chance  for  her  I  would  not  have 
left  her.  I  had  reduced  sail  at  dark,  when  it  be- 
gan to  freshen  into  a  gale.  We  had  the  wind  on 
the  beam,  and  the  bark  was  behaving  very  well." 

"It  began  to  blow  the  heaviest  about  six  bells," 
I  added. 

"We  did  not  get  the  worst  of  it.  We  had  the 
foretop-mast  staysail,  fore  and  main  topsails,  and 
the  spanker  set.  The  Gulf  Stream  was  with  us, 
and  we  were  making  not  less  than  ten  knots  an 
hour.  I  expected  soon  to  see  Carysfort  Light. 
Our  course  was  north,  a  quarter  east,  and  I  had 
no  doubt  I  was  making  it  good." 

"  I  am  afraid  not." 

"  Of  course  I  know  now  that  I  did  not  make  it 
good ;  but  I  can't  see  any  reason  why  I  did  not." 

"I  can,"  I  interposed.  "It  was  for  the  same 
reason  that  we  were  drifted  so  far  to  the  north- 
ward and  westward.  When  the  wind  comes 
strong  from  an  easterly  direction  the  current  of 
the  Gulf  Stream  is  partly  turned  to  the  west- 
ward." 

"I  have  read  that  in  the  Coast  Pilot;    but  I 


164  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

have  been  through  these  waters  so  many  times 
without  noticing  anything  of  the  kind,  that  I  did 
not  think  of  it  last  night.  The  first  hint  I  had 
that  anything  was  wrong  was  when  the  Olive 
struck  on  the  rocks.  I  knew  from  the  sound  of 
the  crash  that  she  had  stove  a  hole  in  her  bow. 
She  flew  back,  and  then  the  wind  jammed  her  on 
again.  I  sent  hands  aloft  to  furl  the  topsails, 
and  others  to  haul  down  the  jib  and  take  in  the 
spanker.  But  she  drove  on  the  rocks  all  the 
same  ;  and  I  knew  that  would  be  the  end  of  her." 
I  invited  the  captain  to  visit  the  cabin,  for  I 
thought  he  would  wish  to  see  his  wife  and 
daughter.  Our  passengers  were  all  at  break- 
fast, and  engaged  in  talking  over  the  events  of 
the  night.  Captain  Mayfield  was  invited  to  join 
them,  and  I  advised  him  to  do  so,  while  I  went 
back  to  the  deck  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  the 
rest  of  the  ship's  company  of  the  Olive.  The 
sailors  were  all  on  deck,  and  the  mate  was  in  the 
pilot-house  with  Washburn.  Gopher  had  made 
provision  for  feeding  the  addition  to  our  passen- 
gers. I  invited  the  two  mates  of  the  Olive  down 
into  the  fore-cabin  to  breakfast,  while  the  cook 
and  steward  were  supplying  the  sailors  on  the 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  165 

forecastle.  I  found  that  Gopher  had  been  liberal 
in  his  supplies,  both  as  to  quantity  and  quality, 
for  the  wrecked  people. 

By  eight  o'clock  breakfast  had  been  served  to 
all  on  board.  I  had  not  slept  above  four  hours 
in  two  nights,  though  my  short  nap  had  refreshed 
me  a  little.  Washburn  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
crew  had  been  on  duty  most  of  the  night,  and 
they  were  very  much  fatigued.  Moses  Brickland 
had  served  a  double  watch,  and  Ben  Bowman  had 
worked  like  a  trooper  most  of  the  night.  I  de- 
cided, as  it  was  pleasant  and  plain  sailing,  to  send 
all  hands  to  their  berths,  and  take  the  helm  my- 
self, with  Ben  at  the  engine  ;  for  he  declared  that 
he  could  stand  it  with  only  two  hours'  sleep  a  week. 
Captain  Mayfield  and  his  two  mates  soon  joined 
me  in  the  pilot-house.  I  was  so  sleepy  myself 
that  I  could  not  help  gaping  and  yawning. 

"You've  had  a  hard  night  of  it,  Captain  Alick, 
while  I  have  had  a  whole  night  below,"  said  Cap- 
tain Mayfield.  "Myself  and  my  mates  have  all 
seen  service  in  a  steamer,  and  we  should  be  very 
glad  to  relieve  you." 

"Thank  you,  Captain.  I  acknowledge  that  I 
am  rather  worn  out ;  but  a  little  steamer  like  the 


166  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Sylvania  has  her  ways,  and  is  peculiar,"  I  re- 
plied. 

"Let  Beach  take  the  wheel,  and  you  shall  see 
whether  he  can  handle  her,"  persisted  Captain 
Mayfield. 

Beach  was  the  second  mate,  and  I  assented.  I 
gave  him  the  course,  and  he  kept  her  steady  to  it. 
I  lay  down  on  the  bench  abaft  the  wheel,  and 
before  I  knew  it  I  didn't  know  anything.  But 
I  slept  only  a  few  minutes,  and  when  I  waked  I 
found  the  first  mate  at  the  wheel.  He  was  simply 
trying  his  hand  at  it.  A  little  while  after  the 
captain  took  his  turn.  We  could  see  the  Keys, 
the  spindles  and  buoys  on  the  reefs,  and  it  was 
hardly  possible  for  any  mishap  to  occur  on  board. 

I  asked  one  of  them  to  help  me  heave  the  log, 
as  I  had  sent  all  my  ship's  company  below  to 
msike  up  their  sleep,  except  the  second  engineer. 
Captain  Mayfield  would  not  permit  me  to  do  any- 
thing about  it.  He  called  a  couple  of  his  seamen, 
and  went  aft  to  do  it.  He  soon  reported  twelve 
knots,  with  the  remark  that  he  did  not  suppose 
the  steamer  to  be  capable  of  such  a  high  rate  of 
speed.  He  then  begged  me  to  turn  in.  He  was 
perfectly  familiar  with  the  coast  and  the  sound- 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  167 

ings.  He  sent  two  of  his  men  on  the  topgallant 
forecastle  to  serve  as  lookouts,  and  declared  that 
the  mates  should  keep  the  wheel  all  the  time.  I 
was  too  sleepy  to  resist,  and  I  turned  in.  I  was 
soon  fast  asleep.  The  motion  of  the  vessel  was 
now  quite  steady,  though  she  rose  and  fell  upon 
the  long  seas. 

It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  I  woke, 
for  the  new  captain  would  not  permit  me  to  be 
called.  Gopher  had  dined  all  on  board  but  the 
crew,  who  had  turned  in  before  I  did.  Ben  Bow- 
man had  waked  himself,  and  gone  to  the  engine- 
room  to  relieve  Moses,  at  eleven.  The  attentive 
cook  had  a  fresh  dinner  ready  for  me  ;  and  before 
I  had  finished  it  most  of  the  other  sleepers  ap- 
peared. 

I  went  to  the  pilot-house  and  looked  at  the  log- 
slate.  It  had  been  faithfully  kept  during  the  ab- 
sence of  Washburn  and  myself.  The  last  entry 
was  American  Shoal,  with  the  time  of  passing  it. 

"Where  are  we  now,  Captain  Mayfield?"  I 
asked. 

"J)o  you  see  that  beacon  with  a  big  B  on  the 
vane?"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  beacon,  which 
was  within  fifty  yards  of  the  steamer's  bow. 


168  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

"That  is  the  Eastern  Sambo,  about  a  dozen  sea 
miles  from  Key  West." 

"You  have  been  making  time  since  I  went  to 
sleep." 

"We  have  logged  twelve  knots  every  time,"  he 
replied.  "We  shall  have  a  head  wind  after  we 
have  passed  the  Western  Sambo,  or  soon  after, 
and  we  must  take  in  sail." 

I  directed  Washburn  to  call  all  hands  and  take 
in  sail,  with  the  assistance  at  the  sheets  and  hal- 
yards  of  the  crew  of  the  Olive. 

"Where  do  you  suppose  the  Islander  is  about 
this  time?"  I  asked  of  Washburn,  after  he  had 
taken  in  sail  and  squared  the  yards. 

"  She  may  be  at  the  bottom,"  replied  the  mate. 

Captain  Mayfield  asked  me  what  I  meant,  and  I 
told  him  all  about  the  Islander. 

te  Her  captain  must  have  understood  the  naviga- 
tion, or  he  would  not  have  gone  inside  on  such  a 
night  as  last  we  had,"  added  Captain  Mayfield. 
"  I  don't  think  you  will  see  the  other  steamer  till 
you  get  to  Key  West,  in  little  more  than  an 
hour." 

"  He  may  have  gone  to  the  bottom  in  the  hurri- 
cane," I  suggested. 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  169 

"  He  could  make  a  harbor  in  several  places  ;  at 
Tavernier,  for  instance.  He  may  even  have  run 
through  some  opening  to  the  other  side  of  one  of 
the  Keys,  and  been  entirely  protected  from  the 
heavy  sea.  He  had  to  be  pretty  well  acquainted 
in  there  to  do  this.  Do  you  know  where  he 
shipped  his  crew?" 

"At  Jacksonville,  Florida,"  I  replied. 

"Then  very  likely  he  had  one  or  more  of  the 
Conchs,  or  natives,  who  come  from  the  Bahama 
Islands,  on  board.  They  are  fishermen  and 
wreckers,  and  know  every  inch  of  bottom  all 
along  the  reefs.  I  think  you  will  see  the  other 
steamer  as  soon  as  you  get  to  Key  West,  for  I 
have  no  doubt  she  has  got  there  first,  if  she  was 
going  there  at  all.  Western  Sambo,  three,  five," 
continued  Captain  Mayfield.  "  Make  a  note  of  it, 
Mr.  Dana." 

After  some  further  conversation  with  the  cap- 
tain, I  was  confident  the  Islander  could  not  get  by 
Key  West  without  being  seen  by  Cornwood,  if 
the  steamer  in  which  he  was  to  come  to  Cedar 
Keys  had  not  been  detained  by  the  storm.  Cap- 
tain Mayfield  did  not  believe  the  steamer  with 
Jacksonville  passengers  on  board  had  been  de- 


170  UP  THE  EIVER;  OR, 

tained,  as  she  had  an  inside  passage  during  all  the 
worst  of  the  hurricane.  It  was  probable  that  the 
agent  of  Colonel  Shepard  had  arrived  in  the  fore- 
noon, if  not  in  the  morning. 

Our  pilot  ran  the  Sylvania  about  two  miles 
beyond  the  "Western  Sambo,  and  then  headed  the 
vessel  to  the  north-west.  He  asked  me  the  draught 
of  the  Sylvania,  and  I  gave  it  to  him  as  nine  feet, 
which  was  her  depth  in  the  water  when  her  coal- 
bunkers  were  full  of  anthracite  coal.  The  course 
was  varied  considerably  to  avoid  shoal  places  and 
reefs ;  but  Captain  Mayfield  gave  me  the  sailing 
directions  as  we  went  along,  and  I  compared  them 
with  those  in  the  Coast  Pilot.  All  the  passengers 
had  come  on  deck  when  it  was  announced  that  we 
were  close  in  to  Key  West.  Colonel  Shepard  was 
very  anxious  about  the  Islander. 

The  city  of  Key  West  is  located  on  the  western 
end  of  an  island  of  the  same  name.  Near  it  is 
Fort  Taylor,  a  vast  structure  built  on  an  artificial 
island,  and  connected  with  Key  West  by  a  long 
bridge.  On  a  hill  is  Whitehead  Light,  and  on  the 
north  side  of  the  island  are  several  observatories. 
The  town,  consisting  mostly  of  cottages,  is  near 
these  towers. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  171 

When  we  were  off  Fort  Taylor,  we  had  a  full 
view  of  the  harbor,  but  the  Islander  was  not  to  be 
seen. 

"  There  she  goes  ! "  exclaimed  Washburn,  point- 
ing to  the  north-west. 

She  carried  no  sail ;  but  when  I  looked  through 
the  glass  I  made  out  her  rig,  though  she  was  four 
miles  away. 


172  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A   PARTIAL   SOLUTION   OF   THE    MYSTERY. 


does  Captain  Blastblow  mean  ?  Does 
he  mean  to  run  away  with  the  Islander  ?  " 
demanded  Colonel  Shepard,  when  he  realized  that 
his  steam-yacht  was  again  trying  to  elude  him. 

"He  must  have  seen  the  Sylvania,"  I  replied, 
very  much  perplexed  by  the  conduct  of  the  captain 
of  the  Islander.  "  If  he  stopped  at  Key  West  at 
all,  he  must  have  seen  us  before  he  started." 

"Is  it  possible  to  overtake  her,  Captain  Alick?" 
asked  Colonel  Shepard,  nervously. 

"As  the  case  now  stands,  Captain  Blastblow  is 
running  away  from  us.  He  has  some  object  in 
view  which  we  cannot  comprehend.  I  have  no 
doubt  we  can  overtake  her,  for  she  can't  run  in 
behind  any  keys,  or  dodge  into  any  unfamiliar 
channels." 

"  But  I  ought  not  to  ask  you  to  pursue  her  any 
farther,"  continued  the  owner  of  the  runaway 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  173 

steam-yacht.  "  I  know  your  party  wish  to  stop 
here,  and  I  will  not  compel  them  to  go  any 
farther." 

"I  think  we  can  see  all  we  want  to  of  Key 
West  from  the  deck,"  interposed  my  father.  "At 
any  rate,  if  we  wish  to  spend  any  time  in  Key 
West,  it  will  be  easy  enough  to  come  back  here, 
for  we  have  the  whole  summer  before  us,  and  the 
winter,  too,  if  the  summer  is  not  long  enough." 

"I  have  no  desire  to  stop  here,  and  Margie 
would  much  rather  continue  with  her  friend,  Miss 
Edith,  than  stop  at  this  place, "added  Mr.  Tiffany. 
"We  are  all  quite  interested  in  solving  the 
problem  of  the  intentions  of  the  captain  of  the 
Islander." 

"  We  will  leave  the  whole  matter  to  Alick  ;  and 
whatever  he  does  we  will  not  complain,"  said  my 
father. 

"  You  are  very  considerate  and  kind,  gentlemen, 
and  I  am  under  very  great  obligations  to  you  and 
to  Captain  Alick  for  all  the  favors  you  have 
extended  to  me,"  replied  the  colonel. 

"If  it  is  left  to  me  we  will  chase  the  Islander," 
I  added.  "But  we  must  land  our  shipwrecked 
passengers  here,  and  that  will  take  a  little  time ; 


174  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

and  I  want  a  pilot,  for  I  don't  like  to  lose  any 
time  in  those  shoal  waters  and  crooked  chan- 
nels." 

"  Get  your  boats  all  ready,  Captain  Alick,  and 
it  won't  take  five  minutes  to  land  me  and  my  men, 
and  I  will  put  your  steamer  where  you  can  get  a 
pilot  in  two  minutes,"  interposed  Captain  May- 
field.  "I  have  no  doubt  we  should  have  all 
perished  if  you  had  not  come  to  the  wreck  at  no 
small  peril  to  your  vessel ;  and  I  hope  the  time  will 
come  when  I  shall  have  a  chance  to  do  something 
for  you." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  I  replied.  "I  hope  I 
never  shall  be  in  a  situation  to  need  such-help  as 
we  had  a  chance  to  give  you,  Captain  Mayfield." 

I  gave  the  order  to  clear  away  the  boats,  the 
davits  were  swung  out,  and  the  falls  manned  ready 
to  drop  them  into  the  water  without  a  moment's 
delay.  The  ship's  company  of  the  Olive  shook 
hands  with  me,  and  thanked  me  very  warmly  for 
what  the  Sylvania  had  done  for  them.  I  was 
sorry  to  part  with  them  so  hastily,  but  the  anxiety 
of  the  colonel  seemed  to  admit  of  no  other  course. 
Captain  Mayfield  ran  the  steamer  within  a  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  shore  by  Tiffs  observatory. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  175 

He  rang  to  back  her,  and  as  soon  as  she  had  lost 
her  headway,  the  two  boats  were  dropped  into  the 
water,  with  two  hands  in  each.  They  were  then 
brought  up  to  the  gangway  steps,  which  had  been 
rigged  out  for  the  use  of  the  ladies,  who  were  all 
ready  to  embark. 

We  assisted  Mrs.  Mayfield  and  her  daughter 
into  the  stern-sheets  of  one,  and  the  captain  joined 
them.  The  boat  shoved  off,  when  the  mate  and 
four  of  the  sailors  had  stowed  themselves  away. 
The  captain  and  the  ladies  waved  their  adieus  as 
soon  as  Dyer  and  Hop  began  to  pull.  Before  the 
port  boat  was  off  the  second  mate  and  the  rest  of 
the  seamen  had  piled  into  the  starboard  boat,  and 
both  were  off  at  nearly  the  same  time. 

I  saw  the  seamen  in  both  boats  assisting  the 
oarsmen,  and  the  boats  went  through  the  water  at 
a  lively  rate.  Not  more  than  two  minutes  had 
elapsed  before  the  party  were  all  on  shore.  Sev- 
eral men  hastened  up  to  Captain  Mayfield,  and 
I  saw  him  select  one  of  them,  who  immediately 
jumped  into  the  port  boat.  It  was  hardly  a  minute 
more  before  the  boats  were  under  the  falls.  They 
were  rapidly  hoisted  up,  and  swung  inboard.  The 
men  leaped  out  of  them,  and  Washburn  rang  to 


176  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

back  the  boat  into  deeper  water.  The  men  secured 
the  boats,  and  the  person  sent  off  went  into  the 
pilot-house. 

I  looked  at  the  clock  and  found  we  had  lost  less 
than  ten  minutes  in  landing  the  wrecked  party, 
during  which  time  the  Islander  had  made  over  a 
mile.  Moses  Brickland  had  been  attending  to  the 
furnaces  while  the  boats  were  absent  with  the  two 
firemen,  and  I  was  sure  that  he  had  a  good  head 
of  steam  on.  The  pilot  was  a  swarthy  person, 
with  long  black  hair,  and  I  had  no  doubt  he  was  a 
Conch,  as  Captain  Mayfield  had  described  them  to 
me.  He  was  well  dressed  in  seaman's  blue  clothes. 
I  rather  liked  the  looks  of  the  man,  and  began  to 
feel  confidence  in  him  as  soon  as  I  saw  him. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Pilot,"  I  said, 
giving  him  my  hand,  when  I  went  into  the  pilot- 
house after  assuring  myself  that  the  boats  were 
well  secured. 

"Thank  you,  Captain  A  lick,"  he  replied  with  a 
smile. 

"As  you  seem  to  know  my  name,  it  is  no  more 
than  fair  that  I  should  know  yours,"  I  replied,  as 
good-naturedly  as  he  had  spoken. 

"I  am  called  Captain  Cayo,  but  my  name  is 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  177 

Cazador,  which  is  the  Spanish  for  '  Hunter.'  But 
it  don't  make  much  difference  what  you  call  me. 
Cayo  is  Spanish  for  Key,  and  people  here  are  so 
used  to  the  word  that  they  have  given  it  me  for  a 
name.  Where  are  you  bound,  Captain  Alick?  " 

"To  New  Orleans,  or  rather  we  are  bound  to 
overhaul  the  little  steamer,  just  like  this  one, 
which  left  here  not  more  than  half  an  hour  before 
we  arrived,"  I  replied. 

"  I  should  have  thought  it  was  the  same  steamer 
if  I  had  seen  both  of  them  at  the  same  time," 
replied  Captain  Cayo,  who  had  taken  the  wheel 
when  he  first  came  into  the  pilot-house,  for  he  had 
been  engaged  to  take  the  Sylvania  through  the 
North-West  Channel,  as  it  is  called.  "  You  wish 
to  overhaul  the  Islander,  do  you  ?  " 

*  Her  owner  is  on  board  of  this  steamer,  and  he 
is  very  anxious  to  get  on  board  of  her,"  I  an- 
swered. 

"  Very  well ;  if  the  Sylvania  has  the  speed  we 
will  overhaul  her,  Captain  Alick,"  added  the 
pilot. 

"  Where  did  you  learn  my  name,  Captain  Cayo, 
for  you  called  me  by  it  before  any  one  had  used  it 
on  board ;  and  those  who  came  off  in  the  boat  with 


178  UP   THE    RIVER  ;     OR, 

you  invariably  call  me  Captain  Garningham  ?  "  I 
inquired,  taking  up  one  of  the  points  which  had 
attracted  my  attention  from  the  first. 

"  I  heard  you  called  so  by  a  gentleman  who 
arrived  here  by  the  morning  steamer  from  Cedar 
Keys." 

"  Who  was  the  gentleman  ?  "  I  asked,  with  in- 
terest. 

"I  don't  remember  his  name,  if  I  heard  it 
at  all." 

"What  time  did  the  Islander  get  to  Key  West?" 

"  Not  more  than  two  hours  before  the  Sylvania. 
I  went  on  board  of  her  to  offer  my  services  as 
pilot.  The  captain  did  not  want  a  pilot,  for  he 
had  a  Conch  on  board  who  used  to  live  in  the 
city." 

"  Then  this  man  is  now  piloting  the  Islander 
through  this  channel  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  he  is  ;  but  I  don't  think  he  is  a  pilot, 
for  he  is  taking  the  steamer  a  long  way  to  the 
eastward  of  the  bar-buoy.  She  went  pretty  near 
a  shoal  with  only  five  feet  of  water  on  it.  I  shall 
make  one  sea-mile  in  going  five  compared  with  the 
course  of  the  Islander." 

w  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it.     What  sort  of  a 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  179 

locking-person  was  it  that  came  in  the  morning- 
boat  from  Cedar  Keys  ?  "  I  asked. 

The  pilot  described  Cornwood  as  though  he 
were  a  novelist.  Of  course  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
supposing  it  was  he.  In  order  to  get  the  most 
reliable  intelligence  from  the  pilot,  I  told  him  all 
about  the  abrupt  departure  of  the  Islander  from 
Jacksonville  without  her  owner  and  his  family. 
I  stated  my  belief  that  Captain  Blastblow  was 
avoiding  us,  and  that  he  had  put  to  sea  as  soon  as 
he  discovered  the  Sylvania  headed  in  for  Key 
West.  I  told  him  the  sudden  departure  of  the 
other  steamer  was  a  great  mystery  to  her  owner 
and  all  the  rest  of  us. 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know  anything  about  the 
matter,  Captain  Alick.  I  don't  believe  the  Islander 
intended  to  stop  at  the  city,  for  the  man  from 
Cedar  Keys  — " 

"  His  name  is  Cornwood,"  I  interposed. 

"  Cornwood  went  off  in  a  boat  and  hailed  the 
Islander.  She  would  not  stop  till  he  flourished  a 
letter.  I  was  out  in  my  boat  looking  for  any 
craft  that  wanted  a  pilot,  and  I  was  close  aboard 
of  her.  When  she  stopped  I  climbed  aboard  on 
one  side  while  Cornwood  got  aboard  on  the  other 


180  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

side.  Instead  of  delivering  the  letter  to  the  cap- 
tain, he  said  it  was  for  a  person  supposed  to  be  on 
board.  The  captain  indulged  in  strong  talk ;  but 
Cornwood  made  some  statement  I  did  not  hear, 
which  seemed  to  satisfy  him.  The  steamer  came 
to  anchor  just  outside  of  Fort  Taylor.  When  the 
captain  told  me  he  did  not  want  a  pilot,  I  left  the 
steamer.  As  I  "pulled  away,  I  saw  that  a  sharp 
look-out  was  kept  over  the  stern  of  the  Islander, 
which  I  can  understand  now,  if  I  could  not  then." 

"  You  don't  know  whether  or  not  Cornwood  de- 
livered any  letter  to  the  captain  of  the  Islander  ?  " 
I  inquired,  with  deep  interest. 

"  Very  likely  he  did,  but  not  while  I  was  on 
board.  I  pulled  up  the  harbor,  and  landed  the 
other  side  of  the  Lazaretto.  Before  I  reached  the 
shore  I  saw  Cornwood  and  a  swellish-looking 
fellow  rowing  to  the  same  landing-place.  Corn- 
wood  was  talking  very  earnestly  to  the  swell,  and 
continued  to  do  so  after  they  got  ashore." 

"What  did  the  swell  look  like?"  I  asked, 
wondering  who  he  could  be,  for  I  had  seen  all  the 
crew  of  the  Islander,  and  could  remember  no  one 
that  looked  like  a  swell. 

Captain  Cayo  gave  a  minute  description  of  the 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  181 

person ;  but  it  would  have  applied  as  well  to  one 
swell  as  to  another. 

"  Did  you  see  anything  more  of  Corn  wood  and 
this  swell  ? "  I  asked,  somewhat  excited  over  the 
narrative,  and  hoping  to  get  some  clue  to  the  con- 
spiracy for  running  off  the  Islander. 

"  Cornwood  and  the  young  fellow  took  a  seat  on 
a  bench  near  the  landing-place,  and  talked  for  a 
full  hour.  Before  they  got  through  I  had  a  sight 
of  this  steamer  coming  up  by  the  West  Sambo.  I 
passed  quite  near  them,  on  my  way  up  the  hill  to 
the  lighthouse,  to  see  if  I  could  make  out  your 
steamer.  As  I  did  so,  I  heard  Cornwood  call  the 
other  fellow  Nick." 

"  Nick  !  "  I  exclaimed,  looking  at  Washburn. 

"  That  explains  it  all,"  added  the  mate. 

"  What  does  it  explain?"  asked  the  pilot,  who 
seemed  to  be  quite  as  much  interested  in  the  case 
as  Washburn  and  myself  were. 

"  It  explains  another  story  I  have  not  told,  and 
which  I  did  not  suppose  had  anything  to  do  with 
this  matter  of  the  running  off  of  the  Islander." 

I  related  the  affair  of  the  robbery  of  the  messen- 
ger of  the  bank,  giving  all  the  details  of  the  case, 
including  the  unexplained  disappearance  of  Nick 


182  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Boomsby.  The  case  looked  as  plain  as  day  to 
Washburn  and  myself.  Nick  had  taken  possession 
of  the  package  of  money,  and  concealed  it  some- 
where under  the  counter;  and  doubtless  there 
were  holes  and  corners  enough  there  where  it 
could  be  put  without  its  being  seen  by  his  father. 
He  wanted  to  get  out  of  Jacksonville  as  soon  as 
possible  after  the  robbery.  He  had  applied  to  me, 
with  his  pathetic  story  about  being  compelled  to 
sell  whiskey,  and  wanted  to  be  taken  as  a  passen- 
ger in  the  Sylvania. 

"  Nick  had  the  card  written  by  Colonel  Shepard, 
which  he  delivered  the  night  before  we  sailed," 
said  Washburn. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  what  was  written  on  that 
card,"  I  added. 

"  Probably  it  was  nothing  more  than  an  intima- 
tion from  the  colonel  that  he  should  be  ready  to 
sail  the  next  morning.  He  had  not  room  enough 
on  a  card  to  go  into  the  particulars,"  answered 
Washburn.  "  You  saw  him  write  the  card, 
Alick." 

"  There  was  not  more  than  a  line  or  two  on  it, 
for  it  was  done  in  half  a  minute,  signature  and 
all." 


YACHTING    ON    TILE    MISSISSIPPI.  183 

"  Captain  Blastblow  had  steam  up  in  the  morn- 
ing, as  directed,"  continued  Washburn.  "  Nick 
observed  the  writing  closely,  and  wrote  a  letter 
such  as  he  wanted  for  use  the  next  morning. 
Captain  Blastblow  is  not  to  blame,  unless  it  is  for 
letting  Nick  deceive  him." 

The  case  looked  plain  enough  now. 


184  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ACROSS   THE   GULF  OF  MEXICO. 

WE  had  arrived  at  only  a  partial  solution  of 
the  mystery,  though  we  had  done  enough 
to  relieve  Captain  Blastblow  from  any  evil  inten- 
tions in  the  premises.  What  Cornwood's  connec- 
tion with  the  affair  was  did  not  yet  appear.  He 
could  not  have  known  that  Nick  Boomsby  was  on 
board  of  the  Islander,  for  he  had  gone  to  St. 
Augustine,  where  we  had  put  in  on  account  of 
stress  of  weather.  He  could  not  have  known 
that  we  intended  to  put  into  St.  Augustine,  for 
we  had  no  intention  to  do  so  when  we  left  Jack- 
sonville. 

Possibly  Cornwood  had  put  one  thing  and 
another  together  until  he  believed  Nick  had  taken 
the  four  thousand  dollars,  and  had  made  his 
escape  in  the  Islander.  It  looked  as  though 
Cornwood  had  some  connection  with  the  robb'ery, 
for  the  Islander  had  hurried  on  her  way  to  New 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  185 

Orleans,  if  she  was  bound  there,  as  soon  as  the 
Sylvania  came  in  sight.  If  he  had  delivered  the 
letter  to  Captain  Blastblow,  the  latter  would  have 
remained  in  Key  West  until  the  arrival  of  her 
owner,  as  instructed  by  the  written  message. 

"  Cornwood  and  Nick  did  a  good  deal  of  talking, 
it  appears,  while  the  Islander  was  here,"  said 
Washburn,  "though  we  don't  know  what  it  was  all 
about." 

"I  have  no  doubt  Cornwood  took  the  manage- 
ment of  the  case  at  this  point,"  I  replied.  "  Nick 
must  have  forged  one  letter  to  induce  Captain 
Blastblow  to  start  the  Islander  without  her  owner 
and  his  family ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  Cornwood 
forged  another  to  make  him  continue  the  voyage." 

"  I  hope  we  shall  know  all  about  the  matter  in  a 
few  hours  more,"  said  Washburn. 

"  You  understand  the  entire  situation  now, 
Captain  Cayo,  and  see  why  we  want  to  overhaul 
the  Islander,"  I  continued. 

"  I  see  the  whole  of  it,  and  I  will  do  the  best  I 
can  to  outsail  the  other  steamer ;  but  that  depends 
more  on  your  vessel  than  on  me,"  replied  the 
pilot.  w  Will  you  let  your  men  heave  the  log?  " 

We  had  been  driving  the   Sylvania  to  her  ut- 


186  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

most,  and  Ben  Bowman  reported  that  we  were 
making  eleven  and  a  half  knots,  which  was  doing 
exceedingly  well  in  the  teeth  of  a  fresh  north-west 
wind.  Captain  Cayo  went  to  the  westward  of  the 
bar-buoy,  while  the  Islander  had  gone  to  the  east- 
ward of  it  more  than  a  mile.  I  saw  that  we  had 
gained  a  mile  by  this  course,  and  the  Islander  was 
not  more  than  four  miles  ahead  of  us. 

I  gave  the  pilot  my  views  of  the  relative  speed 
of  the  two  vessels,  though  I  told  him  that  Captain 
Blastblow  might  get  a  higher  rate  of  speed  out  of 
her  than  any  one  had  done  before. 

"We  shall  soon  see  which  sails  fastest,"  said 
Captain  Cayo.  "  The  Islander  has  laid  her  course 
for  the  South-west  Pass  of  the  Mississippi.  All 
you  have  to  do  is  to  follow  her.  There  is  our 
pilot-boat ;  and  this  is  as  far  as  we  usually  take 
vessels." 

"  But  I  don't  care  to  have  you  leave  us  here, 
Captain  Cayo,"  I  replied.  "It  is  clear  enough  that 
the  Islander  intends  to  keep  out  of  our  way.  She 
may  run  in  among  the  Dry  Tortugas,  and  having  a 
pilot  on  board,  she  could  easily  elude  us." 

"She  might  do  that  when  she  finds  you  are 
gaining  on  her,  as  I  see  you  are,  for  we  have 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  187 

made  half  a  knot  on  her  since  we  came  out  of  the 
channel.  But  if  we  leave  the  pilot-boat  behind,  I 
can't  get  off  the  steamer  when  you  don't  want  me 
any  longer.  Besides,  it  looks  like  a  change  of 
weather,  and  pilots  are  in  demand  when  it  is 
foggy  or  blows,  at  this  season  of  the  year." 

"  What  sort  of  weather  do  you  expect  next  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  The  wind  will  work  round  to  the  south-west, 
and  then  it  will  be  foggy,"  replied  the  pilot, 
scanning  the  horizon. 

"  Can't  you  go  to  New  Orleans,  or  remain  on 
board  till  we  meet  a  steamer  for  Key  West  ? "  I 
suggested. 

"  I  should  be  very  happy  to  go  to  New  Orleans 
with  you,  for  there  will  be  no  steamer  for  Key 
West  for  several  days.  But  I  am  not  a  pilot  for 
the  Mississippi  River,  and  you  will  have  to  pay 
another  just  the  same  as  though  I  were  not  on 
board." 

He  named  his  price,  besides  expenses ;  and  as  it 
was  reasonable,  I  accepted  it  at  once.  My  expe- 
rience the  night  before,  when  I  found  the  Sylvania 
was  ten  miles  from  where  I  supposed  she  was, 
made  me  extremely  cautious.  I  felt  entirely  com- 


188  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

petent  to  take  the  steamer  to  the  South-east  Pass 
of  the  Mississippi ;  but  it  was  evident  that  Corn- 
wood  had  obtained  control  of  the  Islander,  acting 
as  the  agent  of  Colonel  Shepard,  and  that  he 
would  not  permit  the  Sylvania  to  come  near  her 
if  he  could  avoid  it.  Probably  the  Conch  who  had 
acted  as  her  pilot  so  far  would  understand  the 
channels  of  the  Tortugas,  and  could  easily  take 
the  Islander  where  I  should  not  care  to  follow 
her. 

The  pilot-boat  lay  very  nearly  in  our  course, 
and  a  boat  put  off  from  her  as  we  approached. 
Captain  Cayo  stopped  the  steamer  when  the  boat 
was  abreast  of  her.  He  jumped  upon  the  rail, 
and  told  the  oarsmen  that  he  was  going  to  New 
Orleans. 

"  Now  start  her,  Mr.  Mate,"  said  he  to  Wash- 
burn,  as  he  crawled  over  the  rail  to  the  deck. 

"  Now  Cornwood  will  believe  the  pilot  has  left 
you,"  said  Captain  Cayo.  "  The  Islander  is  still 
two  miles  off,  and  I  don't  think  her  people  could 
see  me  when  I  crawled  back  over  the  rail." 

It  was  a  dead  calm  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and 
the  Sylvania  was  still  making  eleven  and  a  half 
knots  an  hour.  I  calculated  that  we  had  gained 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  189 

two  knots  on  the  Islander,  one  by  taking  the 
shorter  course,  and  one  by  outsailing  her. 

"I  think  we  had  better  keep  her  more  to  the 
southward,"  said  Captain  Cayo,  after  he  had  taken 
a  survey  of  the  horizon,  especially  in  the  south- 
west, where  a  pile  of  clouds  seemed  to  be  gath- 
ering. 

"  Why  to  the  southward?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  think  the  captain  of  the  Islander  must  see  by 
this  time  that  we  are  gaining  on  him,  and  that  it  is 
only  a  question  of  three  or  four  hours  when  we 
shall  overhaul  her,"  replied  the  pilot.  "  If  I  were 
in  his  place,  I  should  steer  for  the  Tortugas,  and 
leave  you  five  or  ten  miles  behind  by  dodging  into 
some  shallow  channel.  By  keeping  to  the  south- 
ward, we  shall  be  in  a  better  position  to  head 
her  off." 

"  I  see ;  and  we  are  almost  up  with  the  Tortu- 
gas. If  we  keep  to  the  southward,  we  shall  be 
right  in  her  course  if  she  attempts  to  run  for  those 
islands." 

"Eight  you  are,  Captain  Alick,"  added  the 
pilot,  as  he  changed  the  course  to  due  west. 
"There  is  a  breeze  coming  up  from  the  southward, 
which  is  quite  a  regular  thing  towards  night.  It 


190  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

will  blow  fresh  for  some  hours,  just  about  a  whole 
sail  breeze.  I  think  you  had  better  get  your  sails 
set,  for  the  one  that  uses  the  wind  first  will  make 
the  most." 

I  told  the  mate  to  call  all  hands,  and  put  on 
every  rag  of  canvas  we  could  set.  Before  he 
had  the  foretopsail  shaken  out,  the  breeze  came, 
though  it  was  very  light.  By  the  time  the  rest 
of  the  sails  were  set,  it  was  blowing  lively.  It 
was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  were 
fairly  up  with  the  Tortugas,  and  at  least  a  mile  to 
the  southward  of  the  Islander.  If  she  attempted 
to  get  in  among  the  islands,  she  must  run  across 
our  course,  and  less  than  a  mile  ahead  of  the 
Sylvania.  We  could  easily  cut  her  off. 

"  She  can't  get  in  among  those  islands  now  with- 
out running  into  us,"  I  said,  after  I  had  carefully 
surveyed  the  situation. 

"  That  is  as  true  as  preaching,"  added  Captain 
Cayo,  laughing,  when  he  saw  that  the  other 
steamer  was  checkmated  if  she  had  intended  to 
resort  to  any  stratagem  to  avoid  us.  "  We  may  as 
well  put  the  steamer  on  her  course  for  the  South- 
east Pass." 

He  suited  his  action  to  the  words.     The  wind 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  191 

was  freshening,  and  the  log  indicated  that  we 
were  making  twelve  knots  strong.  Moses  was  still 
crowding  on  all  the  steam  the  boiler  would  bear, 
and  I  am  sure  the  yacht  never  sailed  any  faster. 

At  six  I  estimated  that  the  Islander  was  not 
more  than  a  mile  ahead  of  us,  and  another  hour 
would  wipe  out  all  the  difference. 

"  This  wind  is  good  for  us  in  one  way,  and  bad 
in  another,"  said  Captain  Cayo,  shaking  his  head 
after  a  searching  gaze  to  windward. 

"  You  mean  that  we  are  likely  to  have  some 
fog,"  I  added. 

"  Not  only  likely  to  have  a  fog,  but  sure  of  it. 
It  is  miles  deep  to  the  southward  and  westward." 

"  Of  course  the  Islander  will  be  able  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  in  a  fog ;  and  we  can't  help  ourselves," 
I  replied,  trying  to  yield  as  gracefully  as  possible 
to  the  necessity  of  giving  up  our  point. 

I  had  hardly  uttered  the  words  before  the  fog 
swept  down  upon  us.  It  was  very  dense,  and  we 
could  not  see  a  ship's  length  ahead  of  us ;  at 
about  the  same  time  the  wind  suddenly  subsided. 
"We  could  see  nothing  of  the  Islander,  and  I  had 
no  doubt  she  had  already  shifted  her  course  to 
the  north  or  the  south. 


192  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"The  game  is  all  up,  Captain  Cayo,"  I  said, 
very  mournfully. 

"Up  for  the  present,"  replied  the  pilot,  as  he 
called  through  the  speaking-tube  for  the  engineer 
to  stop  the  steamer. 

Captain  Cayo  put  his  head  out  of  one  of  the  front 
windows  of  the  pilot-house,  and  listened  atten- 
tively for  several  minutes.  I  understood  that  he 
had  used  the  speaking-tube  instead  of  ringing  the 
gong,  so  that  those  on  board  of  the  Islander  should 
not  hear  the  sound,  as  they  might,  it  was  now  so 
still. 

"Go  ahead,"  continued  the  pilot  through  the 
tube.  "  She  has  headed  to  the  northward,  and  we 
will  see  what  we  can  do  on  the  same  tack." 

The  pilot  headed  the  Sylvania  to  the  north.  I 
hoped  the  wind  would  breeze  up  again  and  carry 
off  the  fog;  but  there  was  no  indication  of  it. 
Our  sails  made  so  much  noise,  flapping  and 
pounding  against  the  spars,  that  I  was  obliged  to 
order  all  sail  taken  in.  When  we  had  gone  an 
hour  on  the  present  course,  the  pilot  ordered  the 
engineer  to  stop  her,  as  before.  Washburn  and 
Ben  Bowman  were  on  the  top-gallant  forecastle, 
and  they  listened  with  all  their  might.  We  all  did 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  193 

the  same,  but  we  could  not  catch  a  sound  of  any 
kind.  If  the  Islander  had  been  within  a  mile  of  us 
we  could  have  heard  the  clang  of  her  screw.  She 
had  either  stopped  her  engine,  or  gone  off  on  some 
other  course.  We  went  ahead  again,  headed  to 
the  north-west. 

"  We  might  keep  this  up  all  night,  and  not  find 
her,"  said  Captain  Cayo,  disgusted  with  the 
situation. 

"  What  had  we  better  do  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  We  can't  do  anything.  We  can't  fight  against 
the  fog.  Are  you  sure  the  Islander  will  go  to 
New  Orleans  if  we  let  her  alone  ?  " 

"  I  feel  reasonably  sure  of  it,"  I  replied.  "  Cap- 
tain Blastblow  evidently  is  not  engaged  in  the 
conspiracy ;  and  I  don't  believe  Cornwood  could 
induce  him  to  disregard  the  instructions  of  his 
owner.  His  course  indicates  that  he  intends  to  go 
there,  only  he  seems  to  be  determined  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  Sylvania." 
;  "  I  have  no  doubt  Cornwood  and  Nick  Boomsby 
want  to  go  to  New  Orleans,"  added  the  pilot.  "  I 
don't  see  why  it  won't  be  just  as  well  to  pick  them 
up  there  as  it  will  be  here." 

"  But  they  will  not  allow  themselves  to  be  picked 


194  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

up,"  I  answered.  "They  will  get  ashore  as  soon 
as  the  Islander  reaches  New  Orleans,  whether  they 
get  there  before  or  after  we  do." 

"  If  I  wanted  to  make  sure  of  the  rogues, 
I  should  get  to  New  Orleans  as  quickly  as  I 
could." 

"  We  should  be  sure  to  get  there  before  the 
Islander,"  I  added. 

"  So  much  the  better.  When  you  get  there,  pro- 
cure a  couple  of  officers,  and  run  back  down  the 
river  till  you  meet  the  other  steamer.  Throw  your 
officers  on  board  of  her,  and  they  will  then  have  no 
chance  to  escape.  If  we  wait  here  all  night,  the 
Islander  will  make  the  best  of  her  way  to  her 
destination,  while  we^are  waiting  for  the  fog  to 
clear  off,  and  of  course  the  rogues  will  put  them- 
selves out  of  sight,"  said  Captain  Cayo. 

"I  think  it  is  the  surer  way  to  run  for  New 
Orleans.  I  don't  know  that  we  need  any  officers," 
I  replied.  "We  can  run  into  the  Mississippi, 
find  some  place  of  concealment,  and  pounce  on 
the  Islander  when  they  least  suspect  our  pres- 
ence." 

"  I  like  that  plan  still  better,"  replied,  the  pilot. 

We  agreed  upon  this  course,  and  the  Sylvania 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  195 

was  headed  for  the  South-east  Pass  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. We  gave  her  full  speed,  and  on  Tuesday 
afternoon  we  were  off  the  pass.  It  was  a  dull 
passage.  We  took  a  pilot,  and  as  we  had  no 
difficulty  in  crossing  the  bar,  we  were  soon  in  the 
river.  The  whole  region  was  swamps  and  lagoons, 
about  as  uninteresting  as  we  could  expect  to  find. 


196  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE    SYLVANIA   IN   AMBUSH. 

AS  soon  as  we  were  in  the  river,  the  Missis- 
sippi pilot  was  discharged,  and  we  continued 
on  our  voyage  up  the  stream.  We  did  not  know 
by  which  pass  the  Islander  would  come  in,  and 
we  kept  on  till  daylight  in  the  morning.  We 
then  ran  up  to  the  shore,  which  was  covered  with 
small  trees.  The  place  we  had  chosen  was  at  a 
bend  of  the  mighty  stream,  where  we  could  not 
be  seen  until  the  Islander  was  close  upon  us.  We 
made  fast  to  a  tree,  and  sent  Hop  Tossford  ashore 
to  watch  at  the  bend  for  the  approach  of  the  other 
steamer. 

As  the  water  was  deep  enough  for  the  Islander 
in  whatever  part  of  it  she  went,  I  thought  she 
would  come  within  u  few  yards  of  our  position,  as 
that  would  lead  her  up  stream  by  the  shortest 
way,  Our  passengers  had  spent  their  time  in  the 
usual  manner  on  the  voyage,  and  one  day  at  sea 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  197 

was  very  like  any  other  day  when  the  weather 
was  fine.  We  had  passed  out  of  the  fog  before 
midnight,  and  the  two  days  on  the  Gulf  had"  been 
as  pleasant  as  possible.  Some  of  them  landed  on 
the  high  bank  of  the  river  where  we  had  made 
fast ;  but  we  required  them  to  keep  within  call. 

In  the  pilot-h'ouse  we  had  voted  that  it  was  not 
best  to  say  anything  about  Cornwood's  relations 
with  Nick,  and  none  of  the  passengers  even  knew 
that  Nick  was  on  board  of  the  Islander.  We 
simply  told  them  that  we  had  lost  the  other 
steamer  in  the  fog,  and  we  were  afraid  we  should 
miss  the  Islander  in  New  Orleans  if  we  delayed  to 
look  for  her  in  the  fog. 

The  pilot  took  the  spare  berth  in  the  fore  cabin, 
and  made  himself  entirely  at  home  on  the  steamer, 
as  I  desired  he  should.  We  had  arranged  our  plan 
for  the  capture  of  the  Islander  when  she  came  up 
the  river;  and  none  of  us  had  any  doubts  in 
regard  to  her  coming.  Captain  Cayo  was  to  have 
the  duty  of  taking  possession  of  the  person  of 
Corn  wood,  and  Buck  Lingley  was  to  do  the  same 
kindness  to  Nick.  Colonel  Shepard  was  to  be 
close  at  hand  to  deal  with  Captain  Blastblow,  if 
he  objected  to  the  proceedings. 


198  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

All  the  forenoon  passed  away  without  a  sight 
of  the  Islander.  We  dined,  and  began  to  inquire 
if  there  was  any  way  by  which  the  Islander  could 
get  to  New  Orleans  without  passing  the  point 
where  we  had  taken  position.  We  could  find 
none  she  was  likely  to  take.  We  were  beginning 
to  believe  our  well-laid  plan  had  miscarried,  when 
Ben  Bowman,  who  was  on  the  lookout  for  the 
prize,  hastened  on  board  with  the  intelligence  that 
the  Islander  was  within  four  miles  of  us. 

We  had  covered  our  topmasts  with  green 
branches  to  prevent  the  people  on  the  Islander 
from  suspecting  our  presence  before  she  turned 
the  bend.  A  little  point  covered  with  trees  a 
short  distance  below  us  concealed  the  hull  of  the 
Sylvania,  and  I  was  satisfied  that  she  could  not  be 
seen  by  Corn  wood  before  it  would  be  too  late  to 
keep  out  of  our  way. 

"All  hands  on  deck,"  I  said  to  Washburn,.as 
soon  as  Ben  Bowman  had  announced  the  approach 
of  the  runaway  steamer. 

"All  on  deck,  sir,  except  Ben  Bowman,"  re- 
turned the  mate,  as  soon  as  he  had  given  the  call. 

The  second  engineer  had  returned  to  the  point 
to  observe  and  report  upon  the  movements  of  the 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  199 

Islander.  He  informed  me  that  the  steamer 
seemed  to  be  making  the  shortest  course  the 
bends  of  the  "stream  would  permit,  and  she  was 
headed  for  the  point  behind  which  the  Sylvania 
was  concealed. 

I  had  arranged  my  plan  of  operations.  Our 
steamer  was  headed  up  the  stream,  and  held  by  a 
single  hawser  leading  to  the  bowsprit-bitts.  We 
had  passed  the  rope  around  the  tree,  and  made 
the  end  fast  on  board,  so  that  we  could  let  go 
without  any  one  going  on  shore  to  do  so.  The 
strong  current  of  the  river  would  carry  the  steam- 
er's head  away  from  the  shore,  and  we  had  only  to 
dart  out  alongside  the  Islander,  and  make  fast  to 
her.  We  had  rigged  out  our  fenders,  so  that 
neither  steamer  was  likely  to  be  damaged  by  a 
collision. 

Ben  Bowman  and  Buck  Lingley  were  to  carry  a 
line  on  board  of  the  prize,  and  make  fast  the 
instant  we  came  alongside  of  her.  Colonel  Shep- 
ard  was  to  get  on  board  of  the  Islander  as  quick 
as  he  could,  and  give  his  orders  to  Captain  Blast- 
blow.  I  did  not  apprehend  any  difficulty  in  car- 
rying out  the  programme.  I  was  confident  that 
the  captain  of  the  runaway  vessel  would  respect 


200  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

the  orders  of  his  owner.  We  had  banked  our 
fires  in  the  morning,  so  that  the  noise  of  escaping 
steam  need  not  warn  the  Islander  of  the  presence 
of  another  steamer.  As  soon  as  Ben  reported  the 
runaway  within  four  miles,  Moses  Brickland  had 
caused  the  fires  to  be  replenished,  and  he  calcu- 
lated upon  having  a  full  head  of  steam  when  we 
were  ready  to  run  out  from  our  hiding-place. 

In  about  half  an  hour  from  the  time  the 
Islander  was  discovered,  Ben  Bowman  came  on 
board.  We  could  hear  the  clang  of  her  screw  by 
this  time.  I  stationed  Ben  at  the  hawser,  and 
directed  him  to  let  go  and  haul  in  the  rope  as 
quickly  as  possible  when  I  gave  the  word.  Buck 
Lingley  and  Landy  Perkins  were  to  help  him 
make  quick  work  of  it.  Captain  Cayo  was  sta- 
tioned where  he  could  make  a  sure  thing  of  the 
capture  of  Corn  wood  as  soon  as  he  leaped  on  board. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  Islander  to  the 
point.  As  soon  as  she  showed  her  bowsprit  be- 
yond it,  I  was  to  give  the  word  to  cast  off.  I 
could  see  nothing  to  prevent  the  success  of  the 
elaborate  plan  we  had  made,  and  I  was  satisfied 
that  Colonel  Shepard  would  be  in  possession  of 
his  steam-yacht  within  five  minutes. 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  201 

"  Let  go  and  haul  in  ! "  I  called  to  Ben  Bowman, 
at  the  hawser. 

The  assistant  engineer  did  not  permit  an  instant 
to  elapse  before  he  and  his  two  helpers  were  haul- 
ing on  the  rope  with  all  their  might. 

The  moment  I  saw  that  the  hawser  was  running 
free,  I  rang  the  gong  to  go  ahead,  with  the  helm 
hard  a-starboard.  1  heard  the  screw  turn  a  couple 
of  times,  and  then  it  stopped.  I  did  not  quite 
understand  this.  The  next  thing  I  saw  was  Moses 
rushing  on  the  forecastle. 

f  The  propeller  is  fouled  in  a  root  or  a  rope, 
Alick  ! "  exclaimed  he.  "Back  her  a  stroke  or 
two,  and  it  may  clear  itself." 

I  rang  to  back  her  as  he  rushed  aft  to  the 
engine-room.  By  this  time  the  Islander  was  fairly 
abreast  of  us,  and  I  feared  that  our  elaborate 
scheme  had  failed.  But  we  were  seventy-five 
miles  from  New  Orleans-  and  there  was  time 
enough  for  as  lively  a  race  as  ever  was  seen  on 
the  "  Father  of  Waters." 

I  rang  again  to  stop  the  engine,  and  then  to 
start  it.  It  went  hard,  and  I  heard  some  snapping 
near  the  stern.  It  was  evident  that  the  screw  had 
been  fouled  in  a  root,  and  I  was  afraid  it  might 


202  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

have  been  twisted  into  the  propeller.  I  stopped 
the  engine  again.  When  I  found  the  screw  did  not 
move  freely  I  ran  aft,  and  found  Hop  Tossford 
had  climbed  over  the  stern  with  a  boat-hook  in  his 
hand,  and  was  punching  in  the  direction  of  the 
propeller. 

"  It's  a  crocodile  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  There  it 
goes !  " 

I  saw  the  creature  rise  to  the  top  of  the  water. 
Hop  was  English,  and  Englishmen  are  apt  to  call 
all  saurians  by  this  name.  I  should  not  have 
expected  to  see  the  real  alligator  so  near  the  salt 
water,  for  I  had  heard  that  only  crocodiles  proper 
lived  or  thrived  in  salt  water.  It  may  have  been 
one  washed  out  from  some  bayou  by  the  high 
water,  which  was  prevailing  at  this  time,  or  it 
may  have  been  the  real  crocodile.  I  did  not  stop 
then  to  reason  about  this  case  in  natural  history ; 
but  as  soon  as  I  saw  the  mangled  reptile,  which 
was  about  ten  feet  long,  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  I  hastened  to  the  pilot-house,  and  started 
the  screw  again.  This  time  it  moved  freely,  and 
I  concluded  that  the  saurian  had  been  resting  on 
the  blades  of  the  propeller  when  it  began  to 
turn. 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  203 

By  this  time  the  Islander  had  made  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  as  I  judged,  against  the  swift 
current.  But  there  was  now  no  chance  for  her  to 
dodge  us.  Our  fires  were  in  excellent  condition, 
for  the  fireman  had  been  forcing  them  for  twenty 
minutes. 

"  A  miss  hit,"  said  Captain  Cayo,  coming  into 
the  pilot-house,  when  it  was  clear  that  the  capture 
would  not  come  off  immediately. 

"  I  suppose  that  alligator  went  down  to  drink 
when  we  came  up  to  the  bank  of  the  river,"  I 
replied.  "But  he  has  the  worst  of  it,  for  the 
screw  has  smashed  him." 

I  saw  the  saurian  floating  motionless  down 
stream,  and  the  screw  had  evidently  made  short 
work  of  him. 

"I  am  sony  the  rascal  interfered  with  our 
affair,"  added  the  pilot. 

"  The  game  is  not  up  yet.  We  shall  have  an 
opportunity  to  learn  which  is  the  faster  steamer," 
I  replied. 

"  The  current  must  be  running  five  or  six  miles 
an  hour  here,"  said  Captain  Cayo. 

w  About  five  miles  an  hour  is  the  usual  rate  of 
the  Mississippi,"  I  answered.  "But  it  runs  just 


204  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

as  fast  for  the  Islander  as  it  does  for  the  Syl- 
vania." 

"  That's  true  ;  and  I  doubt  if  either  steamer  is 
making  more  than  six  or  seven  knots  an  hour." 

"  The  Islander  is  sheering  off  from  us  toward? 
the  middle  of  the  river,  and  that  is  where  she  is 
making  her  mistake." 

"  Why  so  ?  "  asked  the  pilot. 

"  Because  the  current  is  swifter  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream  than  near  the  banks,  for  the  friction 
of  the  shore  has  some  effect  on  its  flow." 

"  That  is  bringing  it  down  to  a  fine  point,"  said 
Captain  Cayo,  laughing,  for  he  was  entirely  un- 
used to  river  navigation. 

I  kept  the  Sylvania  as  near  the  shore  as  I 
deemed  it  prudent  to  go,  while  the  Islander  went 
in  the  middle  of  the  river,  as  if  her  captain  de- 
sired to  avoid  falling  into  any  possible  trap.  The 
wind  was  southerly  and  quite  fresh.  I  directed 
the  mate  to  shake  out  the  fore  squaresail  and  the 
fore  topsail.  In  twenty  minutes,  by  the  clock  in 
the  pilot-house,  we  were  abreast  of  the  Islander, 
but  half  a  mile  from  her,  for  she  was  still  in  the 
middle  of  the  river.  By  this  time,  Captain  Blast- 
blow  evidently  saw  his  mistake  in  not  setting  his 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI. 

squaresails,  for  the  wind  was  blowing  about  half 
a  gale. 

I  put  the  helm  about  a  half  a  point  nearer  to 
the  course  of  the  other  steamer.  I  immediately 
noticed  that  her  pilot  made  a  corresponding  change 
in  her  helm.  Moses  kept  an  eye  on  her,  and  un- 
derstood the  game  perfectly.  I  did  not  attempt 
to  run  any  closer  to  her,  for  a  turn  in  the  river 
would  soon  bring  the  Sylvania  alongside  of  her. 
If  the  vessel  attempted  to  go  any  nearer  the  shore, 
she  would  have  to  stand  out  again  in  order  to  pass 
the  bend  above.  In  a  word,  the  Islander  was 
cornered. 

Captain  Blastblow  could  not  help  realizing  the 
situation  of  the  steamer  he  sailed.  Too  late  he 
sent  his  men  aloft  to  loose  the  squaresail.  Before 
they  could  get  the  gasket  off,  I  had  to  port  the 
helm  to  prevent  striking  the  other  steamer.  All 
our  hands  were  in  position  to  do  the  parts  before 
assigned  to  them. 

I  kept  a  sharp  watch  upon  the  actions  of  the 
Islander  to  meet  any  change  in  her  course.  I  saw 
Captain  Blastblow  in  the  pilot-house  at  the  wheel. 
He  looked  very  nervous  and  disturbed,  and  I  did 
not  wonder  at  it. 


206  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

"  Sheer  off,  or  you  will  be  afoul  of  us  !  "  shouted 
the  captain  of  the  runaway  steamer. 

At  the  same  moment  he  rang  his  gong  to  stop 
her.  I  rang  mine  also  the  moment  I  heard  the 
other.  Moses  was  standing  by  his  lever  and 
wheel,  and  I  think  the  Sylvania  was  stopped  be- 
fore the  Islander.  Of  course  we  continued  to  go 
ahead  under  the  impulse  of  the  momentum  given 
the  two  boats. 

Very  cautiously  I  put  the  helm  to  starboard, 
and  in  a  moment  the  two  boats  touched  each  other, 
but  without  any  shock  or  crash.  The  two  hands 
assigned  to  the  duty  sprang  upon  the  forecastle  of 
the  Islander,  and  made  fast  the  rope  they  carried 
to  the  bowsprit-bitts.  At  the  same  instant,  Cap- 
tain Cayo  and  Buck  Lingley  leaped  into  the  waist 
of  the  steamer.  I  saw  Cornwood  and  Nick  on 
the  hurricane-deck,  though  they  began  to  make 
their  exit  as  soon  as  we  came  alongside.  The 
pilot  knew  his  men  well,  and  before  the  Floridian 
could  leave  the  hurricane-deck,  he  had  taken  him 
rather  unceremoniously  by  the  collar. 

Buck  did  not  know  Nick  Boomsby,  but  the 
simple  fact  that  he  was  with  Cornwood  satisfied 
him  that  he  was  the  person  he  wanted.  I  saw 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  207 

that  Cornwood  began  to  look  magnificent,  and  to 
show  fight,  while  Nick  acted  like  a  sick  kitten. 

Colonel  Shepard  hastened  to  follow  the  pilot  on 
board,  and  met  Captain  Blastblow  coming  out  of 
the  pilot-house  to  ascertain  what  the  matter  was. 


208  up  THE  RIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

HOW   NICK    BOOMSBY   MANAGED   HIS    CASE. 

~T"TTE  had  hardly  accomplished  our  introductory 
*  »  work  before  I  saw  that  both  steamers, 
which  we  had  secured  together  with  a  stern  as 
well  as  a  bow  line,  had  been  set  back  by  the  rapid 
current,  and  had  begun  to  drift  down  the  river. 
I  rang  for  the  Sylvania  to  go  ahead,  and  then 
called  upon  Hop  Tossford  to  take  the  wheel.  I 
did  not  care  to  tow  the  Islander  against  the  swift 
current.  I  satisfied  myself  that  the  bow  and  stern 
lines  were  properly  made  fast,  and  then  went  on 
board  of  the  other  steamer. 

I  found  that  Colonel  Shepard  was  inclined  to 
let  his  angry  passions  rise,  as  he  saw  Captain 
Blastblow  approaching  him,  for  which  I  could  not 
very  strongly  blame  him.  I  had  called  to  him 
before  I  went  on  board  of  the  Islander,  and  he  had 
come  aft  to  meet  me.  I  suggested  that  he  should 
put  Washburn  in  charge  of  the  vessel  until  matters 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  209 

had  been  explained.  He  promptly  acquiesced,  and 
I  sent  the  mate  to  the  pilot-house  of  the  prize, 
with  instructions  to  keep  her  as  near  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  as  it  was  prudent  to  go,  and  to 
direct  the  wheelman  of  the  Sylvania  at  the  same 
time. 

"  Do  I  understand  you  to  take  the  command  of 
the  Islander  out  of  my  hands,  Colonel  Shepard?" 
demanded  Captain  Blastblow,  as  he  heard  me  in- 
struct Washburn  what  to  do. 

"For  the  present,  yes,"  replied  the  colonel, 
decidedly  and  sternly,  as  though  he  intended  no 
more  mistakes  should  be  made. 

"  This  is  rather  sudden,  for  I  haven't  the  least 
idea  that  I  have  done  anything  to  displease  you," 
replied  the  captain,  struggling  to  keep  his  tem- 
per. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  with  this  steamer  ? 
What  induced  you  to  run  away  with  her  ?  Why 
have  you  taken  so  great  pains  to  keep  away  from 
the  Sylvania  ?"  asked  Colonel  Shepard,  in  a  severe 
tone. 

"  I  have  tried  to  obey  my  instructions  in  every 
particular,"  replied  Captain  Blastblow,  apparently 
more  in  astonishment  than  in  anger. 


210  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"Have  you  had  any  instruction  to  run  away  with 
my  steam-yacht?" 

"I  certainly  had  no  instructions  to  run  away 
with  her ;  and  I  am  not  aware  that  I  have  done 
anything  of  that  kind,"  answered  the  captain. 

K  There  has  been  some  mistake,  Colonel  Shep- 
ard,"  I  interposed.  "  I  think  we  had  better  go 
into  the  pilot-house  and  talk  it  over," 

Without  making  any  reply,  both  of  the  bellig- 
erents followed  me  forward.  I  was  quite  as 
anxious  to  ascertain  what  had  become  of  Corn- 
wood  and  Nick  Boomsby  as  I  was  to  have  Captain 
Blastblow  explain  his  singular  conduct.  I  found 
Captain  Cayo  on  the  forecastle,  holding  his  prisoner 
by  the  collar  of  his  coat,  while  Nick  was  in  the 
care  of  Buck,  on  the  port  side  of  the  house  on 
deck.  The  former  seemed  disposed  to  resist, 
though  he  was  not  willing  to  risk  a  conflict  with  his 
swarthy  captor. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  laying  hands  upon  me, 
you  rascal?"  demanded  Corn  wood. 

"Don't  use  any  hard  words,  Cornwood,"  added 
the  pilot,  coolly.  "  I  obey  my  orders,  and  don't 
answer  any  questions." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  your  orders  ;  and 


YACHTING   QN   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  211 

no  one  had  any  right  to  give  you  any  orders  to  lay 
hands  on  me,"  foamed  Cornwood. 

The  prisoner  began  to  demonstrate  rather  vio- 
lently ;  he  made  a  spring  at  the  throat  of  the  pilot ; 
but  the  latter  was  too  quick  and  too  strong  for 
him.  They  clinched  together,  and  then  Cornwood 
went  down  upon  the  deck.  Captain  Cayo  put  his 
foot  on  the  chest  of  the  prostrate  Floridian,  and 
held  him  down. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  put  a  rope  around  this 
man's  arms,"  said  the  pilot,  without  taking  his 
eyes  from  his  prisoner.  "  That  would  keep  him 
quiet  and  well-behaved." 

I  picked  up  a  piece  of  line,  and  handed  it  to 
him.  He  tipped  Cornwood  as  carelessly  as  though 
he  had  been  a  shark,  and  proceeded  to  bind  his 
arms  behind  him.  The  Floridian  attempted  to 
resist  again;  but  the  foot  of  the  pilot  pressed 
more  heavily  upon  him  as  he  did  so,  and  he  found 
it  impossible  to  get  upon  his  feet  again. 

Captain  Cayo  drew  the  arms  of  the  captive  up 
behind  him,  and  quickly  fastened  them.  Then 
he  took,  him  by  the  collar,  and  stood  him  up  on 
his  feet.  Cornwood  looked  unutterably  scornful 
at  me ;  and  I  doubt  if  he  would  have  made 


212  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

any  trouble  if  I  had  not  been  present.  Judg- 
ing by  his  looks,  he  appeared  to  regard  me  with 
intense  hatred.  I  had  interfered  with  some  of 
his  schemes  before,  and  from  the  particular,  atten- 
tion he  bestowed  upon  me,  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  he  considered  me  the  author  of  his 
present  misfortune. 

"  Why  am  I  treated  in  this  brutal  manner  ? " 
demanded  Cornwood,  turning  his  gaze  from  me  to 
Captain  Blastblow. 

"I  don't  know  anything  at  all  about  it,"  replied 
the  captain.  "There  are  several  things  I  don't 
understand  about  this  business ;  but  I  am  willing 
to  be  informed." 

w  I  suppose  I  owe  all  this  to  you,  Captain  Gar- 
ningham,"  added  Cornwood,  giving  me  a  savage 
look. 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  think  you  owe  it  all  to 
yourself,"  I  replied.  "  If  I  remember  rightly,  you 
were  to  detain  the  Islander  at  Key  West.  Instead 
of  doing  this,  she  runs  out  of  the  harbor  as  soon  as 
the  Sylvania  comes  in  sight." 

"  It's  none  of  your  business,  Garningham.  Do 
you  own  the  Islander?" 

"  I  think  we  had  better  go  into  the  pilot-house 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  213 

and  talk  the  case  over,"  I  added.  "  We  shall  soon 
find  out  what  the  matter  is." 

I  led  the  way,  and  we  seated  ourselves  in  the 
pilot-house.  I  had  indicated  this  place  because 
I  wanted  to  .hear  the  explanation  of  the  captain 
of  the  Islander. 

"Captain  Blastblow,  your  conduct  has  aston- 
ished me,"  said  Colonel  Shepard,  more  calmly 
than  he  had  spoken  at  first. 

"I  am  sorry  for  it,  sir,  for  I  have  tried  to  do 
just  as  I  was  instructed,"  answered  the  captain, 
meekly,  and  apparently  as  much  astonished  as 
his  owner.  "  I  know  my  place,  and  I  always 
expect  to  do  just  what  my  employer  expects  of 
me." 

"  I  did  not  expect  you  to  run  away  with  my 
steam-yacht,  when  all  my  family  were  waiting  to 
go  in  her,"  added  the  colonel,  becoming  more  in- 
dignant as  he  rehearsed  the  incidents  of  the  morn- 
ing we  left  Jacksonville. 

"  But  your  going  in  the  Islander  depended  on 
your  business ;  and  when  I  saw  you  the  morning 
before  we  sailed,  you  could  not  tell  what  you 
would  do.  You  instructed  me  to  water  and  pro- 
vision the  vessel,  and  wait  for  further  orders. 


214  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

Towards  evening,  you  sent  off  a  card  by  young 
Boomsby,  directing  me  to  have  steam  up  and 
be  ready  to  sail  early  in  the  morning.  I  was 
ready  to  go  by  six  o'clock,"  answered  the  cap- 
tain, taking  from  his  desk  in  the  pilot-house  a 
package  of  papers,  from  which  he  selected  the 
card  sent  off  by  Nick.  "  Is  it  all  straight  so 
far?" 

"  Entirely  :  it  was  just  as  you  say.  I  received 
a  letter  by  the  afternoon  mail,  which  assured  me 
a  business  matter  would  allow  me  to  be  absent 
from  New  York  a  month  or  six  weeks  longer ; 
and  I  decided  to  go  up  the  river  with  the  Syl- 
vania." 

"I  didn't  ask  questions,  or  inquire  into  your 
business.  All  I  had  to  do  was  to  obey  the  orders 
of  my  owner,"  added  Captain  Blastblow.  "I  made 
sure  that  everything  on  board  was  ready  for  the 
voyage  before  I  turned  in  that  night.  By  half-past 
five  in  the  morning  we  had  steam  enough  on  to 
sail  down  the  river.  It  was  about  half-past  six 
when  your  friend,  Mr.  Boomsby,  came  — " 

"  My  friend,  Mr.  Boomsby ! ''  exclaimed  the 
colonel.  "  I  never  even  saw  my  friend,  Mr. 
Boomsby,  that  I  know  of." 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  215 

"  I  only  know  that  you  called  him  your  friend 
yourself,"  replied  Captain  Blastblow. 

"  I  called  him  so  !  How  could  I  call  him  so 
when  I  had  no  acquaintance  with  him  ? "  demanded 
the  owner,  with  a  smile  of  incredulity. 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  that,"  con- 
tinued the  captain,  fumbling  over  the  papers 
he  had  taken  from  his  desk.  "  I  learned  to  read 
writing  when  I  was  a  boy  ;  and  that  was  what  you 
wrote." 

"  I  never  wrote  anything  of  the  kind,  Captain 
Blastblow.  But  never  mind  that :  go  on  with  your 
story,"  added  the  colonel. 

"I  can  prove  all  that  I  say,  sir.  Your  friend,  Mr. 
Boomsby,  as  you  called  him  in  your  letter,  came 
on  board  about  half-past  six,  and  gave  me  your 
instructions  to  proceed  to  New  Orleans  as  soon  as 
I  got  the  letter." 

"  I  sent  you  no  such  letter,  Captain  Blastblow," 
protested  Colonel  Shepard.  "  I  never  wrote  any 
such  letter  ;  some  one  has  been  playing  a  trick  on 
you." 

"  But  I  have  the  letter  in  your  own  hand- 
writing," pleaded  the  captain.  "  I  will  read  it  to 
you.  It  is  dated  at  the  St.  James  Hotel,  with  a 


216  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

picture  of  the 'house,  and  the  heading  printed  upon 
it.     Here  is  what  it  says  :  — 

CAPTAIN  BLASTBLOW: 

I  have  received  a  despatch  which  will  prevent  me  from 
leaving  Jacksonville  for  a  few  days.  You  will  proceed  to 
New  Orleans  as  soon  as  you  get  this  letter;  and  I  will  go 
there  by  land  with  my  family.  For  reasons  I  will  explain 
to  you  some  other  time,  I  want  you  to  keep  out  of  the  way 
of  the  Sylvania.  I  have  made  a  bet  that  the  Islander  will 
get  to  New  Orleans  first;  and  I  expect,  from  what  you  said, 
you  will  win  the  bet  for  me.  This  letter  will  be  delivered 
to  you  by  my  friend,  Mr.  Boomsby,  who  will  take  passage 
with  you ;  and  you  will  treat  him  as  well  as  you  would 
Yours  truly, 

P.  G.  SHEPARD. 

"If  those  instructions  are  not  as  plain  talk  as 
any  shipmaster  could  desire,  I  should  like  to 
know  what  would  be  plain,"  continued  Captain 
Blastblow,  as  he  finished  the  reading  of  the  letter. 
"I  hove  up  the  anchor  at  once,  and  rang  to  go 
ahead.  I  was  ordered  to  keep  out  of  the  way 
of  the  Sylvania,  and  I  have  done  my  best  to  avoid 
her." 

"  But  I  did  not  write  that  letter,  Captain  Blast- 
blow,"  repeated  the  owner ;  and  by  this  time  we 
were  all  rather  amused  at  the  straightforward 
earnestness  of  the  captain  of  the  Islander.  "  Let 
me  see  the  letter,  if  you  please." 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  217 

The  captain  handed  him  the  letter.  Colonel 
Shepard  examined  it  critically.  He  shook  his 
head  as  he  did  so. 

"  I  must  acknowledge  that  the  writing  looks 
very  much  like  mine,"  he  said,  after  he  had  read 
it  through  and  examined  it  in  every  part.  "  Who 
could  have  written  it  ?  " 

"  Nick  Boomsby  wrote  it,  without  a  doubt," 
I  replied.  "  I  went  to  school  with  him,  and  he 
was  a  good  penman,  though  that  was  about  all  he 
was  as  a  schblar." 

"Is  that  my  friend,  Mr.  Boomsby?"  asked  the 
colonel,  laughing  heartily. 

"  The  same  person  ;  and  he  has  become  a  swell 
of  the  first  magnitude,"  I  replied.  "  If  I  had 
known,  or  suspected,  before  we  got  to  Key  West, 
that  Nick  was  on  board  of  her,  I  could  have 
explained  the  strange  conduct  of  the  Islander,  and 
why  she  so  carefully  kept  out  of  our  way." 

I  gave  a  full  account  of  the  robbery  of  the  bank 
messenger  in  the  saloon  of  Nick's  father,  dwelling 
upon  the  efforts  Nick  had  made  to  arrest  Buckner. 
I  stated  that  he  had  tried  to  obtain  a  passage  to 
New  Orleans  in  the  Sylvania,  that  I  had  refused 
to  let  him  go  in  her,  and  had  taken  care  that  he 


218  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

did  not  become  a  stowaway  on  board  of  her.  I 
added  that  Nick  told  me  of  his  intention  to  run 
away  from  his  home,  and  seek  his  fortune  in  some 
other  part  of  the  country. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  Nick  stole  the  four  thou- 
sand dollars  the  messenger  laid  on  the  counter, 
and  resorted  to  the  trick  of  forging  a  letter  to 
Captain  Blastblow,  so  that  he  could  get  the 
Islander  off  ahead  of  the  Sylvania,"  I  continued. 

"  But  how  is  it  that  Cornwood  did  not  stop  the 
Islander  at  Key  West,  as  it  appears  he  got  on 
board  of  her  there?"  asked  Colonel  Shepard, 
deeply  interested  in  the  narrative. 

"  I  think  you  will  have  to  ask  Cornwood  about 
that,"  I  replied.  "I  am  a  Yankee,  and  I  can  guess 
what  he  meant." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  care  about  any  guessing, 
Captain  Alick ;  but  if  you  have  any  theory  with  a 
base  under  it,  I  should  like  to  hear  it,"  said 
Colonel  Shepard. 

"  I  think  Cornwood  was  well  assured  that  Nick 
was  on  board  of  the  Islander  when  you  sent  him 
to  intercept  the  steamer  at  Key  West,"  I  an- 
swered. "  Cornwood  would  not  have  gone  on 
such  a  wild-goose  chase  for  nothing.  According 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  219 

to  the  testimony  of  Captain  Cayo,  Cornwood  and 
Nick  had  very  earnest  conversation  at  Key  West." 

K I  don't  think  it's  any  use  to  speculate  over  the 
case,"  interposed  Captain  Blastblow.  "  Let  us 
search  for  the  money." 

We  all  agreed  that  this  was  the  next  thing 
to  do. 


220  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A  SEARCH  FOR  THE  LOST  TREASURE. 


two  steamers  had  passed  the  bend  of  the 
river,  and  we  had  gone  by  forts  Jackson  and 
St.  Philip  without  a  word  being  said  of  the  his- 
torical events  which  were  connected  with  them. 
We  were  too  busy  with  the  inquiry  before  us  to 
give  any  attention  to  the  surroundings,  though  I 
could  see  that  our  passengers  on  board  the  Syl- 
vania  were  discussing  what  they  saw  on  the 
mighty  river.  But  nothing  could  have  been  more 
uninteresting  than  the  banks  of  the  river  near  its 
delta. 

It  was  a  season  of  high  water,  and  the  low  lands 
beyond  the  levee  on  either  side  were  overflowed. 
Occasionally  we  passed  a  vessel  going  down  the 
stream,  or  a  powerful  skeleton-tug  dragging  a 
ship  against  the  rapid  current.  There  was  little 
to  be  seen  besides  the  muddy  flow  of  the  stream 
all  around  us,  and  the  fringe  of  trees  that  grew  on 
the  levee. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  221 

If  the  theory  we  had  advanced,  and  supported 
by  such  evidence  as  we  had,  was  correct,  the  four 
thousand  dollars  the  bank  messenger  had  lost  were 
on  board  the  Islander.  If  Nick  had  taken  the 
package,  he  had  not  left  it  behind  him  when  he 
started  out  on  his  travels.  We  went  down  into 
the  after-cabin.  The  captain  said  Nick  had  occu- 
pied the  large  state-room  on  the  starboard  side, 
while  Cornwood  had  taken  possession  of  the  cor- 
responding one  on  the  port  side.  We  found 
enough  of  the  effects  of  each  in  his  state-room  to 
settle  the  question  of  his  occupancy  of  the  room. 
Four  thousand  dollars  was  a  large  sum  of  money, 
and  we  did  not  expect  to  find  it  'lying  around 
loosely  in  the  room  of  either. 

Captain  Blastblow  volunteered  to  examine  Corn- 
wood's  state-room,  while  I  rendered  the  same  ser- 
vice in  that  of  Nick  Boomsby.  I  found  a  bun- 
dle which  contained  the  runaway's  clothing.  I 
searched  it  thoroughly,  but  there  was  no  package 
of  any  kind  in  it.  I  opened  all  the  drawers  and 
lockers  in  the  room  with  no  better  success.  I  tore 
the  bed  to  pieces  and  removed  the  berth  sack. 
The  latter  was  a  hair  mattress  of  the  best  quality. 
I  looked  to  see  if  it  had  been  ripped  open  in  any 


222  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

place,  and  then  felt  of  it  in  every  part,  but  with- 
out discovering  anything  like  a  foreign  substance 
in  it. 

Under  the  berth,  or  rather  bedstead,  was  a  con- 
siderable space,  where  a  trunk  or  other  package 
could  be  placed.  I  lighted  the  lamp  in  the  state- 
room, and  took  it  from  the  gimbals,  for  it  was 
dark  under  the  bed.  I  looked  and  felt  in  every 
part  of  the  space,  but  I  had  no  better  success.  I 
examined  every  hole  and  corner  in  the  state-room, 
but  found  no  such  package  as  that  for  which  I  was 
looking. 

MI  find  nothing  that  looks  like  money,"  I  said  to 
Colonel  Shepard,  who  was  watching  the  opera- 
tions with  deep  interest. 

"Blastblow  has  no  better  luck  in  the  other  state- 
room. Do  you  conclude  from  this  fact  that  you 
have  been  mistaken  ?  "  inquired  the  owner  of  the 
Islander. 

"I  do  not;  I  feel  morally  sure  that  Nick  took 
that  money,"  I  replied,  confidently. 

"You  may  be  mistaken,  Captain  Alick,"  added 
Colonel  Shepard,  with  a  smile.  "If  he  took  the 
package  we  should  be  likely  to  find  it  in  his 
room." 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  223 

M I  grant  that  I  expected  to  find  it  here ;  or  a 
part  of  the  money  in  this  room,  and  the  rest  of  it 
in  Cornwood's  state-room,"  I  added,  rather  warmly. 
"  There  are  other  places  where  the  package  could 
have  been  concealed." 

"  That  is  true ;  but  Nick's  room  was  the  place 
where  he  was  most  likely  to  put  it." 

"I  think  so  myself;  but  Nick  has  had  the  ad- 
vice of  Cornwood  since  the  Islander  reached  Key 
West." 

"  Cornwood  is  a  cunning  rogue,  I  know." 

"  If  we  had  suspected  that  Nick  was  on  board 
the  Islander,  we  might  have  telegraphed  to  the 
police  at  Key  West  to  arrest  him  and  detain  the 
steamer,"  I  continued.  "  I  am  satisfied  that  Corn- 
wood  would  not  have  gone  to  Key  West  if  he  had 
not  expected  to  find  Nick  on  board  of  the  Islander. 
At  least,  he  would  not  have  gone  without  the  hun- 
dred dollars  he  asked  to  pay  his  expenses  hi  ad- 
vance." 

"Your  logic  seems  to  be  entirely  correct,  but 
the  facts  so  far  do  not  seem  to  bear  out  the 
theory,"  laughed  the  colonel.  "But  I  have  re- 
covered my  steam-yacht,  and  I  am  entirely  happy 
over  the  result  so  far." 


224  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"I  have  no  desire  to  prove  that  Nick  Boomsby 
is  a  thief  and  a  rascal ;  on  the  contrary,  I  should 
be  glad  to  have  him  relieved  of  the  suspicion  that 
hangs  to  him  just  now.  Cornwood  may  have  con- 
sidered that  the  state-rooms  were  the  most  unsafe 
places  on  board  of  the  vessel  to  conceal  the  money, 
and  even  Nick  himself  may  have  come  to  this  con- 
clusion before  he  had  seen  Cornwood." 

"  There  is  some  reason  in  that,"  said  the  colonel. 
"  Everybody  in  Jacksonville  knew  that  both  yachts 
were  bound  to  New  Orleans.  Nick  may  have  sus- 
pected that  he  would  be  charged  with  the  robbery. 
He  is  old  enough  to  understand  all  about  the  tele- 
graph, and  he  may  have  put  the  money  where  it 
was  not  likely  to  be  found,  or  if  found,  might  not 
appear  to  have  any  connection  with  him." 

Captain  Blastblow  had  made  as  thorough  a 
search  in  the  port  as  I  had  in  the  starboard  state- 
room, and  had  joined  us  in  the  cabin  while  we 
were  talking  about  the  matter.  He  seemed  to  fall 
in  with  our  reasoning,  and  expressed  his  satisfac- 
tion that  he  had  not  been  boarded  by  officers,  who 
might  have  suspected  him  of  being  concerned  in 
the  robbery  of  the  bank  messenger. 

"Cornwood  has  been  on  board  of  the  Islander 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  225 

three  days  now,"  I  said.     "Have  you  seen  much 
of  him,  Captain  Blastblow,  during  this  time?" 

"Very  little  indeed.  From  the  time  he  came 
on  board  Sunday,  I  think  I  hardly  saw  him  at  all 
until  Monday  afternoon.  He  was  in  close  conver- 
sation with  Mr.  Boomsby  most  of  the  time,  the 
steward  said  to  me.  The  first  night  they  sat  up 
till  after  midnight ;  and  Lonsdale  says  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  strong  talk  between  them,"  replied 
the  captain. 

"Do  you  know  what  it  was  about?"  I  asked. 

WI  haven't  the  least  idea.  I  inquired  how  the 
passengers  were  getting  on,  and  Lonsdale  told  me 
he  thought  they  were  in  some  kind  of  a  quarrel." 

"You  don't  spend  any  of  your  time  in  the  cabin, 
do  you,  Captain  Blastblow  ?  "  asked  the  owner. 

"I  haven't  had  time  even  to  come  into  it  on  this 
trip,  though  I  intend  to  go  through  it  every  day, 
to  see  that  everything  is  in  order.  I  have  had  all 
I  could  do  the  last  week  to  look  out  for  the  vessel, 
with  two  heavy  gales  and  plenty  of  fog,"  replied 
the  captain.  "I  had  to  make  a  harbor  at  Matanzas 
Inlet,  and  again  at  Tavernier's,  for  I  was  afraid 
this  little  craft  would  roll  her  engine  out  of 
her." 


226  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"We  kept  on  through  the  whole  of  it  Friday 
night,"  I  added. 

"You  were  outside  of  the  reef,  and  you  could 
not  make  a  harbor,"  retorted  Captain  Blastblow. 
"But  I  got  to  Key  West  two  hours  before  you 
did." 

"You  did  not  go  to  the  assistance  of  a  wrecked 
bark  as  I  did,  and  land  her  ship's  company  in  Key 
West,"  I  replied. 

The  captain  of  the  Islander  wanted  to  know 
about  the  wreck ;  and  at  another  time  I  told  him 
all  about  it.  We  were  too  much  concerned  in 
verifying  our  theory  in  relation  to  the  robbery 
in  Jacksonville  to  agree  to  any  long  digression. 

"  Is  the  steward  the  only  person  who  has  been  a 
constant  visitor  to  the  cabin?"  I  asked. 

"Gibbs,  the  waiter,  did  all  the  work  in  the 
cabin  ;  and  he  must  have  seen  more  of  the  passen- 
gers than  even  the  steward,"  replied  the  captain. 

"Where  is  Gibbs?" 

"Probably  on  deck,  or  asleep  in  some  corner." 

"Perhaps  we  had  better  call  the  steward  and 
waiter,"  suggested  Colonel  Shepard. 

The  captain  went  to  the  head  of  the  companion- 
way,  and  called  the  steward.  Mr.  Lonsdale  had 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  227 

not  spent  much  time  in  the  cabin,  though  he  slept 
in  one  of  the  berths  abaft  the  state-rooms.  He 
confirmed  the  statement  of  the  captain  that  there 
had  been  a  great  deal  of  earnest  conversation  be- 
tween the  Floridian  and  the  "young  swell."  He 
never  listened  to  private  conversation,  and  he  had 
not  the  remotest  idea  what  they  were  talking 
about.  Perhaps  Gibbs,  the  waiter,  might  know 
more  about  the  matter  than  he  did.  . 

Gibbs  was  found  to  be  fast  asleep  on  a  sofa 
in  the  after  part  of  the  cabin.  He  knew  noth- 
ing at  all  about  what  had  happened  since  the 
Islander  came  into  the  river,  and  appeared  to 
be  not  a  little  surprised  when  he  saw  the  owner 
and  myself.  He  was  a  light  Mulatto,  a  very 
good-looking  fellow,  and  I  judged  that  he  was 
intelligent. 

"Where  are  the  passengers,  Gibbs?"  asked  Cap- 
tain Blastblow. 

"  I  don't  know,  sir ;  somewhere  about  the  ves- 
sel, I  suppose ;  most  likely  asleep  in  the  state- 
rooms," replied  the  waiter. 

"  Where  do  they  spend  their  time  when  they 
are  below?"  continued  the  captain,  in  an  easy  and 
indifferent  tone. 


228  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Gibbs  answered  the  question  in  a  very  indefinite 
manner.  The  passengers  were  mostly  in  their 
state-rooms,  on  the  sofa,  or  sitting  in  the  chairs. 

"  Have  you  noticed  them  in  any  particular  place 
in  the  cabin,  except  in  their  state-rooms,  in  the 
chairs,  or  on  the  sofas  ?  "  I  asked,  with  considera- 
ble energy,  for  the  waiter  seemed  to  be  rather 
stupid  and  bewildered,  and  I  thought  he  needed 
something  to  wake  him  up. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  seen  them  both  on  the  cabin  floor 
this  morning,"  answered  Gibbs,  with  more  life  in 
his  tones  and  manner  than  I  had  seen  before. 

"  On  the  floor ! "  exclaimed  Colonel  Shepard. 
"  What  were  they  doing  on  the  floor  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  sir.  I  had  cleared  away  the 
breakfast-dishes,  and  went  on  deck  to  smoke.  I 
found  it  a  little  cool,  and  I  came  down  again  for 
my  coat,"  replied  Gibbs,  talking  quite  glibly  now. 
"As  soon  as  I  came  down  stairs,  they  got  up." 

"  Where  were  they  at  the  time  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"Right  under  the  companion-way,  sir." 

"And  you  could  not  tell  what  they  were  doing 
on  the  floor?" 

"No,  sir;  they  were  crawling  out  from  under 
the  companion-way  when  I  saw  them." 


YACHTING  ON  THE   MISSISSIPPI.  229 

We  questioned  the  steward  and  the  waiter  for 
some  time  longer,  but  we  got  nothing  more  out  of 
them.  We  asked  the  captain  to  send  them  on 
deck,  and  to  direct  Captain  Cayo  and  Buck  Ling- 
ley  not  to  allow  any  person  to  communicate  with 
their  prisoners. 

The  companion-way  consisted  of  stairs  with 
steps,  but  with  no  risers  to  obstruct  the  light 
from  the  stern  ports.  It  was  not  probable  that 
the  passengers  had  secreted  the  bills  forming  the 
package  in  such  a  place  as  this.  But  we  carefully 
examined  every  foot  of  space  under  the  com- 
panion-way. We  were  about  to  give  up  the 
search  in  this  part  of  the  cabin,  when  I  felt  some- 
thing under  the  carpet,  beneath  the  lower  step. 
I  found  that  a  portion  of  the  carpet  had  been  torn 
up,  and  I  pulled  it  over.  Reaching  it  again,  I 
felt  the  package  more  distinctly ;  but  I  was  dis- 
appointed because  it  seemed  to  be  too  small  for 
the  one  that  had  been  lost.  I  drew  it  out. 

"This  can't  be  it,"  I  said.  "It  is  not  more  than 
half  the  size  of  the  one  the  messenger  laid  on  the 
counter  in  the  saloon." 

"It  ought  not  to  be  more  than  half  as  large," 
added  the  colonel.  "It  appears  that  there  has 


230  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

been  some  earnest  talk  among  the  passengers  of 
the  Islander.  What  could  this  have  been  about 
except  the  division  of  the  spoils  ? " 

While  he  was  speaking,  I  had  taken  off  the 
paper  which  inclosed  the  package.  It  was  the 
same  color  as  that  I  had  seen  in  the  saloon.  On 
removing  the  covering,  I  came  to  the  two  tin 
plates,  and  saw  a  pile  of  money,  in  bills,  between 
them. 

"  Of  course  there  is  only  one  half  of  the  plun- 
der, and  Boomsby  divided  with  Cornwood,"  said 
Colonel  Shepard. 

"Where  is  the  other  half?"  I  asked,  blankly. 

r  I  have  no  doubt  this  half  belongs  to  my  friend 
Mr.  Boomsby ;  and  I  have  no  more  doubt  Corn- 
wood  would  have  stolen  it  by  the  time  they  got  to 
New  Orleans,"  added  the  colonel. 

We  concluded  that  it  would  not  be  as  easy  to 
find  the  second  half  of  the  treasure  as  it  had  been 
the  first. 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  231 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   THEORY   AND   THE   FACTS. 

WE  spent  an  hour  in  searching  in  every  nook 
and  corner  of  the  cabin  for  the  other  half 
of  the  lost  treasure.  Comwood  had  not  been 
stupid  enough  to  put  it  under  the  companion- 
way  ;  and  Nick  had  been  stupid  enough  to  let 
his  companion  know  where  he  had  hidden  his  own 
share.  As  Colonel  Shepard  had  suggested,  it  was 
probable  that  the  Floridian  meant  to  take  it  before 
he  went  on  shore  at  New  Orleans.  Comwood  had 
not  concealed  his  share  of  the  treasure  in  the  cabin 
of  the  Islander,  and  we  could  think  of  no  other 
place  where  he  was  at  all  likely  to  deposit  it. 

"I  think  he  has  too  long  a  head  to  hide  his 
money  anywhere,"  interposed  Captain  Blastblow. 
"  I  should  say  that  any  man  was  a  natural  fool  to 
hide  his  money  in  a  vessel,  under  such  circum- 
stances as  these  fellows  came  on  board  of  the 
steamer.  In  my  opinion,  he  has  concealed  the 


232  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

money  on  his  person,  for  you  seem  to  have  no 
doubt  that  he  divided  with  the  young  swell." 

"  That  looks  very  reasonable,"  added  Colonel 
Shepard.  "  I  think  if  I  had  a  large  sum  on  board 
of  a  vessel,  I  should  provide  myself  with  a  money- 
belt,  and  keep  the  treasure  in  it  at  all  times." 

"  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  search  him,"  said  Cap- 
tain Blastblow.  "  We  shall  soon  find  out  whether 
or  not  he  is  a  party  to  the  robbery.  I  suppose 
there  isn't  any  doubt  about  the  young  swell,  as 
the  steward  called  him,  and  which  I  think  is  the 
best  description  of  him." 

"The  package,  with  the  two  tin  plates,  precisely 
answers  the  description  given  of  it  by  the  man 
that  lost  it,"  I  replied.  "But  I  doubt  whether 
we  have  any  right  to  search  Corn  wood.  We 
are  not  officers,  and  we  are  now  in  the  State  of 
Louisiana." 

"  We  have  as  much  right  to  search  him  as  we 
had  to  lay  hands  on  him  when  we  came  alongside 
of  the  Islander,"  replied  Colonel  Shepard.  "I 
think  we  can  get  at  the  truth  better  than  any  court 
can.  At  any  rate,  he  has  taken  part  in  stealing 
my  steam-yacht ;  and  I  think  I  have  some  hold  on 
him.  If  it  turns  out  that  he  has  not  the  money  on 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  233 

him,  I  have  no  doubt  I  can  make  it  all  right  with 
him.  I  am  willing  to  take  the  responsibility." 

"All  right.  I  will  help  your  man  bring  him 
down  here,  for  I  think  we  had  better  not  say  any- 
thing to  Mr.  Boomsby  until  we  have  settled  where 
the  other  half  of  the  money  is,"  said  Captain  Blast- 
blow. 

"Bring  him  down  here,"  replied  the  colonel. 

The  captain  soon  returned  with  the  pilot,  having 
Corn  wood  between  them.  The  prisoner  seemed 
to  be  somewhat  bewildered,  for  no  charge  had  yet 
been  preferred  against  him. 

"Mr.  Cornwood,  you  seem  to  be  acting  in  a 
different  role  than  that  for  which  I  engaged  you  at 
St.  Augustine,"  said  Colonel  Shepard,  when  the 
pilot  had  put  his  prisoner  into  a  chair. 

"It  was  my  intention  to  place  the  steamer  in 
your  hands  by  the  time  you  arrived  in  Key  West," 
replied  Cornwood,  with  dignity. 

"  You  gave  me  a  letter  when  you  came  on  board 
the  Islander  at  Key  West,"  said  Captain  Blast- 
blow,  savagely,  to  the  prisoner. 

"I  gave  you  the  owner's  letter,"  added  Corn- 
wood. 

"  No,  you  didn't !   you  gave  me  this  letter," 


234  UP  THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

continued  the  captain,  taking  a  paper  from  his 
pocket.  "  Is  this  your  letter,  Colonel  Shepard  ?  " 

He  gave  the  letter  to  his  owner.  The  colonel 
looked  at  it  and  laughed. 

"  This  is  not  so  good  an  imitation  of  my  hand- 
writing as  the  other  letter,"  he  added.  "  I  never 
wrote  a  line  of  this  letter.  It  favors  the  theory 
we  have  adopted,  and  I  will  give  it  to  you." 

CAPTAIN  BLASTBLOW. 

DEAR  SIK:  This  letter  will  be  delivered  to  you  by  my 
excellent  friend,  Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood.  who  has  been  my 
companion  during  my  trip  to  the  interior  of  Florida,  and  I 
commend  him  to  your  acquaintance  and  good  offices.  You 
will  give  him  a  state-room  on  board  of  the  Islander,  for  he 
will  make  the  trip  with  you  to  New  Orleans.  You  will 
continue  to  avoid  the  Sylvania,  and  in  all  matters  relating 
to  the  steamer  you  will  take  the  advice  of  Mr.  Cornwood,  in 
whose  fidelity  and  good  judgment  I  have  entire  confidence. 
Very  truly  yours, 

P.  G.  SHEPAKD. 

"  My  excellent  friend,  Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood ! " 
exclaimed  the  colonel.  "Did  you  ever  know  a 
man  to  have  so  many  excellent  friends  as  I  have  ? 
Why,  they  are  all  willing  to  sacrifice  themselves, 
and  take  my  steam-yacht  and  run  her  at  my  ex- 
pense, and  even  without  my  knowledge." 

"  You  did  not  write  that  letter,  colonel  ?  "  asked 
Captain  Blastblow. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  235 

"  Of  course  I  did  not,"  replied  the  owner, 
warmly.  "Why,  the  writing  is  quite  different 
from  that  given  to  you  by  my  friend,  Mr. 
Boomsby." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  be  willing  to  take  any 
written  orders  after  this,  unless  the  signature  is 
witnessed  by  some  one  I  know.  I  am  sure  I 
did  not  think  of  such  a  thing  as  a  counterfeit 
letter.  But  did  you  send  any  letter  to  me  by 
your  excellent  friend,  Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood?" 
asked  Captain  Blastblow. 

"I  did  send  a  letter  to  you  by  him,  instructing 
you  to  wait  at  Key  West  till  my  arrival  there," 
replied  the  colonel. 

"  Will  you  give  me  that  letter,  Mr.  Kirby  Corn- 
wood?"  demanded  the  captain,  addressing  the  pris- 
oner in  a  very  vigorous  manner. 

"  I  gave  you  the  letter  I  received  from  Colonel 
Shepard.  I  have  no  other,"  replied  Cornwood, 
doggedly. 

"I  don't  believe  you,  when  Colonel  Shepard 
says  he  did  not  write  that  letter." 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  I  lie?"  cried  Corn- 
wood. 

"That's  the  substance  of  what  I  mean,"  answered 


236  UP  THE  KIVEK;  OR, 

the  captain,  who  seemed  to  hold  the  prisoner  in 
utter  contempt. 

"  You  are  a  coward,  or  you  would  not  say  that 
to  a  man  with  his  arms  tied  behind  him,"  returned 
Cornwood,  repressing  his  wrath. 

"  You  invited  me  to  say  it,  and  I  said  it ;  and  it 
wouldn't  make  any  difference  to  me  whether  your 
arms  were  tied  or  not.  But  I  want  the  other  let- 
ter, and  I  am  going  to  have  it.  Captain  Cayo,  we 
will  search  him,  and  then  we  shall  know  whether 
he  has  it  or  not,"  added  Captain  Blastblow. 

The  captain  and  the  pilot  proceeded  at  once  to 
execute  the  threat.  Cornwood  leaped  from  his 
chair,  and  began  to  kick  at  his  two  persecutors. 
He  was  boiling  with  rage,  or  with  some  other  pas- 
sion. But  Captain  Cayo  seized  him  from  behind 
by  the  shoulders,  and  threw  him  down  before  he 
could  do  any  harm.  The  captain  took  from  his 
pocket  a  strong  cord  he  had  evidently  brought 
down  for  the  purpose,  and  while  the  pilot  held 
him  down,  tied  his  ankles  together.  They 
then  began  the  search,  examining  all  his  pockets 
first.  They  found  neither  the  money  nor  the 
letter. 

"We  haven't  gone  deep  enough,"  said  Captain 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  237 

Blastblow,  as  he  thrust  his  hand  into  the  inside  of 
Cornwood's  shirt.  The  latter  seemed  to  under- 
stand what  this  movement  meant,  and  he  renewed 
his  struggles  in  the  most  desperate  manner. 

Captain  Cayo  put  his  foot  on  Cornwood's  chest, 
as  he  had  done  when  he  captured  the  Floridian, 
and  compelled  him  to  lie  quiet.  Then  he  threw 
up  his  manacled  feet ;  but  I  took  care  of  them  by 
sitting  down  upon  his  legs.  Captain  Blastblow 
then  proceeded  with  his  search.  He  removed  a 
portion  of  the  prisoner's  clothing  above  his  trou- 
sers, and  we  could  not  help  seeing  the  wash-leather 
belt  he  wore  around  his  waist.  He  unbuckled  it, 
and  held  it  up  before  us. 

"Now  you  may  take  Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood  on 
deck,"  said  the  captain,  in  a  tone  of  triumph,  as 
he  felt  the  outside  of  the  pocket-book  attached  to 
the  belt. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  rob  me  of  my  money  ?  Have 
I  fallen  among  thieves  ?  "  demanded  Cornwood. 

"  No ;  but  we  have,"  replied  Captain  Blastblow. 

"  This  is  an  outrage,  and  —  " 

"  Never  mind  that  now ;  we  will  hear  it  another 
time,"  interposed  the  captain. 

"  I  protest  against  —  " 


238  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"All  right,"  added  the  captain,  as  he  seated 
himself  at  the  cabin-table.  "Go  on  deck,  Mr. 
Kirby  Cornwood,  and  take  the  air.  It  will  do 
you  good." 

The  captain  handed  the  money-belt  to  Colonel 
Shepard,  who  opened  it,  and  took  from  the  pocket 
a  large  pile  of  bank-notes. 

"  That  looks  more  like  it,"  said  the  captain.  "  I 
don't  believe  that  fellow  will  prosecute  us  for  any- 
thing we  have  done.  He  belongs  in  the  Florida 
state  prison,  if  they  have  such  an  institution." 

"I  think  we  had  better  count  the  money,"  I  sug- 
gested, as  I  took  the  package  we  had  found  under 
the  companion-way  from  my  breast-pocket. 

"  Yes,  count,  and  see  if  the  rascals  made  a  fair 
f  divvy '  of  it,"  added  the  captain. 

Colonel  Shepard  began  to  count  the  bills  he  had 
taken  from  the  money-belt,  and  I  opened  the  pack- 
age in  my  possession.  As  I  did  so,  I  found  the 
words,  "First  National  Bank  of  Florida,"  as  if 
impressed  by  a  stamp,  on  the  wrapper.  The  two 
tin  plates,  by  which  I  had  been  able  to  recognize 
the  package,  were  made  by  cutting  off  the  round 
ends  of  a  pair  of  tins  used  for  doubling  papers  and 
tearing  off  checks  or  other  papers.  I  concluded 


YACHTING  ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  239 

they  were  a  device  of  the  bank  messenger,  by 
which  he  could  square  his  package.  When  I  had 
shown  these  things  to  the  captain,  I  proceeded  to 
count  the  money. 

"  Just  two  thousand  dollars,"  said  the  colonel, 
who  finished  his  work  long  before  I  did  mine. 

"  Nineteen  hundred  and  ninety,"  I  added,  when 
I  had  finished  the  count. 

"  He  may  have  taken  out  ten  dollars,"  suggested 
the  colonel. 

"  I  don't  believe  Cornwood  did,  for  I  found 
other  money  in  his  pockets,  which  I  did  not 
touch,"  added  Captain  Blastblow. 

"  Count  it  over  again,  Captain  Alick,"  said  the 
colonel. 

I  did  so,  laying  off  the  bills  in  hundreds,  as 
they  amounted  to  this  sum.  My  last  lot  came  out 
right,  and  I  had  twenty  piles.  It  made  just  two 
thousand  dollars.  It  was  clear  now,  if  it  had  not 
been  before,  that  Corn  wood's  visit  to  Key  West 
related  to  Nick  Boomsby,  and  not  to  the  deten- 
tion of  the  Islander  when  she  arrived  there.  The 
equal  division  of  the  money  explained  the  long 
and  rather  stormy  conversations  between  the  pas- 
sengers of  the  Islander.  Cornwood  was  smart, 


240  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

if  he  was  nothing  else  in  the  way  of  honesty  and 
uprightness.  He  had  bullied  and  persuaded  poor 
Nick  Boomsby  to  give  him  half  the  money,  and 
would  probably  have  stolen  the  other  half  before 
the  vessel  got  to  New  Orleans,  if  we  had  not  cap- 
tured her  on  the  way. 

I  was  sorry  for  Nick  Boomsby,  for  he  had  been 
the  playmate  of  my  early  years  ;  not  so  sorry  that 
he  had  been  found  out  as  that  he  could  commit  a 
crime.  But  I  could  hardly  wonder  at  his  guilt 
when  I  thought  of  what  his  father  had  done,  and 
what  an  example  he  had  given  his  son.  I  thought 
the  father  was  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  much  to 
blame  as  the  son. 

"  What  shall  be  done  with  this  money  ?  "  asked 
Colonel  Shepard,  when  he  had  wrapped  up  both 
divisions  of  the  money  and  the  money-belt  in  one 
package. 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  our  two  prisoners  ?  "  I 
inquired,  in  answer  to  the  question. 

"  We  can  hand  them  over  to  the  police  in  New 
Orleans,"  replied  the  colonel. 

"  Then  we  can  hand  the  money  also  over  to 
them,"  I  added.  "  Probably  the  news  of  the  rob- 
bery of  the  messenger  has  been  in  half  the  news- 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  241 

papers  in  the  country,  and  the  police  of  all  the 
large  cities  will  know  all  about  the  case." 

It  was  finally  agreed  that  my  father  should  keep 
the  money  till  we  arrived  at  New  Orleans,  as  he 
would  be  in  another  steamer  from  the  robbers. 
Colonel  Shepard  decided  to  go  on  board  of  the 
Islander  at  once,  and  his  family  were  assisted  to 
their  new  quarters. 


242  UP  THE  KIVEK;   OR, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

UP    THE    MISSISSIPPI. 

AS  soon  as  we  had  transferred  the  family  of 
Colonel  Shepard  to  the  Islander,  we  un- 
lashed  the  two  vessels,  and  each  stemmed  the  swift 
current  of  the  Mississippi  on  its  own  account.  I 
stopped  the  screw  to  allow  the  other  steamer  to 
go  clear  of  the  Sylvania,  and  she  went  ahead  sev- 
eral lengths  before  we  could  recover  our  headway. 
I  saw  Captain  Blastblow  waving  his  adieus  to  me, 
as  though  he  intended  to  run  away  from  us,  not- 
withstanding his  former  experience. 

"  Let  her  out,  Moses,"  I  called  to  the  engineer 
through  the  speaking-tube. 

The  chief  engineer  understood  me  perfectly, 
and  I  immediately  heard  the  sound  of  the  coal- 
shovel  in  the  fire-room.  I  saw  from  the  smoke 
issuing  from  the  smoke-stack  of  the  Islander,  that 
her  captain  intended  to  hurry  her.  I  had  beaten 
her  several  times  to  my  own  satisfaction ;  and  I 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  243 

was  certain  that  he  could  not  sail  her  any  faster 
than  those  who  had  handled  her  on  the  Great 
Lakes.  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  having  the  Syl- 
vania  beaten,  though  I  was  not  much  inclined  to 
race  for  any  reason. 

It  was  Washburn's  watch,  and  I  gave  him  the 
wheel.  I  had  run  the  steamer  over  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  and  the  mate  kept  her  at  a 'safe 
distance  from  the  shore.  It  was  soon  evident  to 
me  that  we  were  gaining  on  the  Islander.  We 
were  overhauling  her  as  we  had  done  many  times 
before  Captain  Blastblow  had  proved  that  he  was 
a  good  seaman,  as  well  as  an  upright  and  straight- 
forward man.  He  had  intimated  that  he  could 
sail  the  Islander  faster  than  I  could  the  Sylvania ; 
and  I  only  desired  to  show  him  that  he  was  mis- 
taken. 

While  the  race  was  in  progress,  I  went  down 
into  the  cabin  to  arrange  about  changing  the  pas- 
sengers into  other  quarters.  Four  of  the  late 
occupants  of  the  cabin,  besides  Chloe,  had  gone 
on  board  of  Colonel  Shepard's  yacht,  and  four 
were  left  in  the  Sylvania.  There  was  a  state-room 
for  each  of  them,  and  I  proposed  that  they  should 
arrange  the  matter  among  themselves.  But  my 


244  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

father  insisted  that  I  should  do  it  myself.  I  put 
my  father  and  Mr.  Tiffany  into  the  two  large 
apartments,  and  Miss  Margie  and  Owen  into  the 
two  small  ones.  Cobbington  and  the  new  waiter 
each  had  a  berth,  and  there  were  still  two  spare 
ones.  Everybody  was  entirely  satisfied,  though 
I  could  see  that  Owen  was  very  sorry  that  Miss 
Edith  had  moved  into  the  Islander. 

When  I  went  on  deck  the  Sylvania  was  abreast 
of  the  Islander.  Both  steamers  were  tugging  hard 
against  the  current,  and  each  was  carrying  all  the 
steam  it  Avas  safe  to  put  on.  Slowly  we  walked 
by  the  Islander,  and  I  could  not  help  going  aft  to 
see  how  Captain  Blastblow  liked  the  looks  of  the 
stern  of  the  Sylvania.  When  he  saw  me,  he 
laughed  pleasantly,  and  I  was  convinced  there  was 
no  bad  feeling  in  his  heart.  I  had  no  feeling  of 
personal  triumph,  for  I  was  satisfied  he  would 
have  beaten  me  if  we  had  exchanged  vessels.  The 
superiority  was  in  the  steamer,  and  not  in  the 
management. 

The  river  presented  the  same  unvarying  feat- 
ures, and  in  the  whole  of  Plaquemine  Parish, 
which  contains  the  river  almost  up  to  New  Or- 
leans and  the  Delta,  there  is  no  land  more  than  ten 


YACHTING   ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  245 

feet  above  the  level  of  the  gulf.  The  water  was 
loaded  with  a  sort  of  yellow  mud,  and  it  was  easy 
enough  to  see  how  the  levees  had  been  formed  and 
the  Delta  projected  far  out  into  the  gulf. 

When  the  water,  for  any  reason,  lost  its  five-mile 
current,  the  soil  it  contained  was  deposited  on  the 
bottom.  As  the  mighty  stream  brings  its  load  of 
mud  down  to  the  gulf,  it  is  left  there,  and  the 
same  force  works  it  to  each  side.  In  this  way, 
though  the  effect  of  a  century  of  accumulations 
are  hardly  perceptible,  the  Delta  has  been  ex- 
tended fifteen  or  twenty  miles  out  into  the 
gulf. 

In  this  mud,  which  forms  the  bars  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  vessels  drawing  from  sixteen  to 
twenty  feet  ground ;  but  their  keels  are  driven 
through  it  by  strong  tugs,  or  even  by  the  winds 
acting  on  the  sails.  The  State  of  Louisiana  has 
to  look  out  for  its  levees  almost  as  carefully  as 
Holland  does  for  its  dikes.  Millions  have  been 
spent  on  them,  and  every  year  requires  additional 
expenditures  to  keep  them  in  repair.  Even  New 
Orleans  is  four  feet  below  high-water  mark,  as 
well  as  much  of  the  surrounding  country.  The 
levees,  created  by  the  deposit  of  sediment  from 


246  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

the  river,  and  by  human  labor,  are  broken  through 
when  the  freshets  send  the  water  down  faster  than 
the  flow  of  the  river  will  carry  it  off. 

As  I  have  said  before,  it  was  now  a  season  of 
unusually  high  water.  The  country  beyond  the 
levees  was  covered.  Sugar,  cotton,  and  rice  plan- 
tations were  inundated.  Occasionally  we  could 
see  a  group  of  houses  on  a  knoll,  like  an  island, 
but  a  few  inches  above  the  level  of  the  water.  In 
other  places  we  saw  dwellings  floating,  and  others 
still  in  their  places,  but  partly  submerged.  It  all 
looked  to  me  like  a  region  in  which  I  should  not 
care  to  live. 

"  We  are  leaving  the  Islander  a  good  way  be- 
hind us,"  said  Washburn,  when  I  returned  to  the 
pilot-house,  after  my  survey  of  the  surrounding 
country. 

ff  She  is  only  about  half  a  mile  astern  of  us,"  I 
replied.  "I  suppose  we  shall  gain  about  half  a 
mile  an  hour  on  her  in  this  current,  when  we  drive 
the  Sylvania."  • 

"  It  is  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,"  added  the 
mate,  glancing  at  the  clock.  "  I  estimate  that  we 
are  all  of  fifty  miles  from  New  Orleans.  Do  you 
intend  to  run  after  dark,  Alick?  " 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  247 

"Why  not?  "I  asked,  somewhat  surprised  at 
the  question. 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  quite  prudent  to  do  so.  The 
river  is  very  high,  and  I  would  rather  see  where 
we  are  going  than  go  on  in  the  dark,"  answered 
Washburn. 

"  The  river  is  over  a  mile  wide,  and  too  deep 
for  snags  and  sawyers." 

"  It  is  cloudy  now,  and  it  will  be  very  dark. 
We  don't  run  by  courses  here,  and  we  may  get 
into  trouble  in  some  way,  though  I  confess  I  can't 
see  how." 

"  We  shall  get  to  New  Orleans  by  midnight,"  I 
added. 

"What  good  will  it  do  to  get  there  by  midnight? 
As  we  approach  the  city  there  will  be  something 
to  be  seen,  but  our  passengers  can't  see  it  in  the 
night.  If  I  understand  the  matter,  we  are  in  no 
hurry,  and  it  makes  no  difference  whether  we  get 
in  to-night  or  to-morrow  noon." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,  Washburn  ;  at  any  rate 
it  is  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  We  will  keep  on 
as  far  as  we  can  while  we  have  the  light,  and  then 
we  will  look  out  for  a  good  place  to  tie  up  for  the 
night,"  I  answered. 


248  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

I  had  hardly  come  to  a  decision  before  we  saw 
a  large  body  floating  down  the  river.  We  could  not 
make  out  what  it  was  at  first.  A  bend  of  the  river 
swept  it  over  to  the  side  on  which  we  were  sail- 
ing, and  Washburn  headed  out  for  the  middle  to 
avoid  it.  We  soon  ascertained  that  it  was  an  old 
flatboat,  such  as  come  down  the  great  river  with 
a  cargo  of  coal,  lumber,  grain,  or  other  mer- 
chandise, and  is  then  broken  up,  because  it  will 
not  pay  its  cost  to  take  it  back  to  the  point 
from  which  it  started. 

The  flatboat  came  down  the  stream  broadside  to, 
though  we  saw  it  make  two  or  three  whirls  as  it 
advanced.  It  had  evidently  broken  loose  from  its 
moorings  at  or  near  the  city,  and  was  on  its  way 
to  the  gulf  on  its  own  account.  After  passing  the 
bend,  the  current  began  to  carry  it  out  into  the 
middle  of  the  river,  and  we  were  obliged  to  sheer 
off  again  to  avoid  a  collision  with  it.  I  breathed 
easier  when  I  saw  it  astern  of  the  Sylvania. 

"  I  should  not  like  to  make  that  thing  out,  close 
aboard  of  us  in  the  dark,"  said  Washburn. 

"  Would  you  like  to  have  it  drift  against  you 
while  moored  to  the  shore  ?  "  I  asked. 

"I  should  not;  but  that  would  be  better  than 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  249 

hitting  it  with  full  steam  on.  But  we  must  haul 
up  in  the  right  place.  We  needn't  choose  a 
place  whore  the  current  sets  against  the  shore,  as 
it  does  at  a  bend.  I  should  haul  her  up  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  and  then  anything  floating 
on  its  own  hook  will  be  carried  away  from  us," 
replied  Washburn. 

"  The  logic  is  correct,  and  we  will  seek  such  a 
place  as  you  describe." 

The  sight  of  the  flatboat  assured  me  that  it  was 
not  safe  to  run  in  the  night,  at  least  during  high 
water,  when  the  current  was  bearing  off  houses, 
vessels,  and  other  cumbrous  things.  Running 
over  a  floating  log  might  disable  our  propeller, 
and  we  should  be  helpless  then.  There  were  but 
few  great  bends  in  this  part  of  the  river,  much  as 
the  mighty  stream  twists  about  above  New  Or- 
leans. I  kept  a  lookout  for  a  suitable  place  to 
moor  the  steamer  to  the  shore. 

The  supper-bell  had  just  rung  when  I  saw  such 
a  place  as  I  had  been  looking  for.  On  the  right 
bank  was  a  point  of  land  where  a  considerable 
bend  sent  the  whole  force  of  the  powerful  current 
over  to  the  other  side  of  the  river.  I  rang  the 
bell  to  reduce  the  speed,  as  I  pointed  out  the  spot 


250  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

to  the  mate.  He  ran  the  nose  of  the  boat  up  to 
the  bank,  and  Buck  jumped  ashore  with  a  line, 
with  which  a  hawser  was  drawn  to  the  land.  It 
was  made  fast  to  a  pine-tree,  and  no  other  line 
seemed  to  be  needed. 

I  could  see  the  Islander  about  two  miles  dowtt 
the  river.  We  all  went  down  to  supper  except  a 
hand  to  notify  us  of  danger  from  any  source.  I 
was  not  at  my  meal  more  than  fifteen  minutes,  for 
I  had  dined  late.  When  I  came  on  deck,  the 
Islander  was  almost  abreast  of  the  Sylvania. 
Colonel  Shepard  was  in  the  pilot-house  with  the 
captain,  and  they  seemed  to  be  in  earnest  conver- 
sation. 

Probably  Captain  Blastblow  had  not  thought  of 
hauling  up  for  the  night  any  more  than  I  had 
when  Washburn  spoke  to  me  about  the  matter. 
I  had  no  doubt  they  were  discussing  the  same 
subject  which  the  mate  and  I  had  disposed  of. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  Captain  Alick?" 
shouted  Captain  Blastblow,  as  he  rang  his  speed- 
bell. 

"Waiting  for  the  Islander  to  come  up  with  us," 
I  replied,  laughing,  for  I  could  not  be  less  good- 
natured  than  the  captain  of  the  Islander. 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  251 

"  Did  you  have  to  tie  up  to  the  bank  to  wait  ? " 
asked  Captain  Blastblow ;  and  by  this  time  the 
steamer  was  working  just  steam  enough  to  bal- 
ance her  in  the  current,  so  that  she  was  nearly 
stationary. 

"  We  are  going  to  lie  here  to-night,"  I  replied. 

"What  for?" 

"Did  you  meet  a  flatboat  floating  down  the 
river  about  an  hour  ago?"  I  asked,  thinking  that 
would  furnish  sufficient  explanation  of  my  action. 

"I  did;  I  ran  into  it,  and  smashed  in  one  of  its 
sides  so  that  it  filled  with  water,"  answered  Cap- 
tain Blastblow. 

"  Then  the  next  man  that  meets  it  in  the  dark 
cannot  see  it  as  well  as  you  did,"  I  continued.  "I 
don't  think  it  is  safe  to  run  in  the  night  when  the 
river  is  full  of  floating  logs,  flatboats,  and  other 
things." 

The  captain  and  the  owner  of  the  Islander  dis- 
cussed the  subject,  though  I  could  not  hear  what 
they  said.  In  a  few  minutes  the  captain  rang 
the  gong,  and  the  steamer  went  ahead  at  full 
speed.  I  hoped  no  accident  would  happen  to  the 
Islander,  and  the  chances  were  in  favor  of  her 
reaching  New  Orleans  in  safety.  But  there  was 


252  UP   THE    RIVER  ;     OR, 

not  much  fun  in  paddling  through  the  muddy 
river  in  the  dark,  let  alone  the  prudence  of  doing 
so.  My  father  and  Owen  came  into  the  pilot- 
house after  supper,  and  both  of  them  approved 
what  I  had  done. 

The  Sylvania  lay  alongside  the  bank  of  the 
stream,  held  by  the  hawser,  with  her  stern  a 
little  way  out  from  the  shore.  At  seven  o'clock 
it  was  very  dark,  and  I  directed  the  watch  I  had 
set  for  the  first  part  of  the  night  to  rig  lanterns  at 
the  fore-stay  and  the  topping  lift  of  the  main- 
boom.  I  had  a  quantity  of  Bengola  lights  put  in 
the  pilot-house,  that  we  might  light  up  the  scene 
around  us,  if  it  should  be  desirable  to  do  so. 

About  nine  o'clock  I  heard  the  noise  of  escap- 
ing steam,  not  more  than  half  a  mile  distant. 
Then  shouts  came  from  the  same  direction.  I 
lighted  one  of  the  fireworks,  and  in  the  glare 
I  saw  the  Islander  with  a  house  hanging  to  her 
bow. 


YACHTING  ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  253 


CHAPTEK  XXII. 

THE    ISLANDER   IN   A    BAD   FIX. 

silver  light  from  the  Bengola  enabled  me 
to  see  clearly  the  strange  sight  that  presented 
itself  to  our  gaze.  Owen  was  smoking  his  cigar, 
and  Washburn  and  my  father  were  talking  about 
India.  The  whistle  and  the  shout  from  the 
steamer  were  the  first  intimations  we  had  that 
anything  was  wrong.  I  could  see  some  lights  in 
the  gloom  that  hung  over  the  river,  but  nothing  to 
enable  me  to  ascertain  the  situation,  until  the  Ben- 
gola illuminated  the  scene. 

It  was  a  strange  sight.  I  could  not  tell 
whether  the  building  was  a  house  or  a  stable, 
though  it  appeared  to  have  too  many  windows 
for  the  latter.  The  Islander,  it  appeared,  had 
run  her  bow  into  the  structure  up  to  the  pilot- 
house. The  steamer  was  still  working  her  screw. 
But  the  odd  complication  floated  slowly  down  the 


254  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

stream  towards  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  the 
position  of  the  Sylvania. 

"Call  all  hands!"  I  said,  with  energy.  "Tell 
the  engineer  to  stir  up  the  fires." 

Washburn  hastened  to  execute  the  orders,  and 
the  rest'  of  us  watched  with  increasing  wonder  the 
floating  mass,  which  was  every  moment  increasing 
its  distance  from  us. 

"  I  say,  Captain  Alick,  can  you  tell  me  what  all 
that  means?"  asked  Owen  Garningham.  "Was 
the  Islander  going  into  that  house  to  spend  the 
night?" 

"  I  really  can't  say  whether  she  was  or  not ;  but 
it  is  not  likely  that  the  steamer  went  on  shore 
for  a  night's  lodging  in  the  building,"  I  replied. 

"  I  dare  say  the  Islander  could  not  handle  her- 
self very  well  on  the  land,  if  she  found  any  land 
to  get  on,"  added  Owen. 

"It  is  more  likely  that  the  house,  or  whatever 
it  is,  was  afloat  when  the  Islander  knocked  for 
admission,"  I  continued. 

"If  the  steamer  knocked,  the  house  appears  to 
have  opened  to  her." 

"  How  is  your  steam,  Moses  ?  "  I  called  through 
the  tube  to  the  engineer. 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  255 

"  Rather  low  for  working  in  this  current,"  came 
back  to  me  through  the  tube. 

At  that  moment  the  Islander  whistled  again.  I 
pulled  our  whistle  line,  and  found  we  had  steam 
enough  to  give  a  smart  reply ;  but  I  was  not  will- 
ing to.  trust  the  Sylvania  to  the  rapid  river  with- 
out a  full  head  of  steam.  I  lighted  another 
Benirola.  In  its  glare  I  saw  that  the  other 

O  " 

steamer  was  backing  her  screw,  as  probably  she 
had  been  doing  from  the  beginning.  I  judged 
that  the  building  was  about  fifty  feet  long,  and,  as 
it  was  partly  submerged,  it  presented  a  large 
broadside  to  the  rapid  current. 

"I  don't  see  how  she  got  into  that  scrape., 
unless  she  was  looking  for  a  night's  lodging," 
said  Washburn.  "That  building  is  big  enough 
to  be  seen  in  the  dark." 

"  Of  course  Captain  Blastblow  did  not  intend  to 
run  into  it,"  I  added.  "Probably  he  had  not  time 
to  get  out  of  the  way  when  he  first  saw  it." 

"But  it  seems  to  me  I  should  not  go  far  with 
such  a  load  before  I  shook  it  off." 

"But  don't  you  see  that  he  can't  pull  out  of  the 
house  ?  "  demanded  Owen.  "  He  is  stuck  fast  in 
her  side." 


256  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

"  They  have  axes  on  board  the  Islander ;  and  I 
don't  think  it  would  take  our  crew  long  to  cut 
her  out  of  that  hole,"  added  Washb urn.  "Why 
does  she  keep  whistling?  Her  captain  can  im- 
agine that  we  have  not  steam  enough  to  work  the 
Sylvama  in  such  a  current." 

"I  say,  Washy,  have  you  ever  been  down  the 
Danube?"  asked  Owen. 

"I  never  have  been.  I  was  never  in  Europe," 
replied  the  mate. 

"I  should  say  this  current  is  quite  as  swift  as 
that  of  the  Danube  at  Vienna ;  and  it  makes  seven 
miles  an  hour  there." 

"The  ordinary  current  of  the  Mississippi  is 
about  five  miles  an  hour,  and  in  such  a  freshet 
it  must  be  as  much  as  seven." 

"What  is  a  freshet,  Mr.  Mate?" 

"Ah  inundation;  an  overflow  of  the  water;  a 
flood;  a—" 

"Cut  it  short!  I  understand  it  perfectly.  I 
never  heard  it  called  a  freshet  before.  Has  it 
anything  to  do  with  the  fact  that  this  is  fresh 
water,  Washy?" 

"I  don't  think  it  has,  though  I  never  heard  of 
such  a  thing  as  a  freshet  in  salt  water,  which  could 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  257 

not  very  well  be,  since  a  freshet  is  caused  by 
heavy  rains  and  the  melting  of  the  snow,"  replied 
Washburn.  "  You  never  heard  of  a  freshet  be- 
fore !  Where  have  you  been  all  your  life  ?  " 

"That's  an  American  word,  Mr.  Washburn," 
interposed  my  father.  "  I  never  heard  it  except  in 
this  country." 

At  this  moment  Mr.  Tiffany  and  his  daughter 
joined  us  in  the  pilot-house,  after  asking  if  they 
might  come  in.  I  gave  them  chairs  and  explained 
to  them  the  rather  ludicrous  situation  of  the 
Islander.  All  hands  were  on  the  forecastle  except 
the  chief  engineer  and  Landy  Perkins.  I  ordered 
a  Bengola  to  be  burned  on  the  top-gallant  fore- 
castle to  enable  them  to  see  the  Islander  and  its 
odd  burden. 

"  Mr.  Brickland  says  he  has  steam  enough," 
said  Landy  Perkins,  reporting  to  me  at  the  pilot- 
house. 

"All  right,"  I  replied.  "Buck,  cast  off  the 
hawser,  when  I  bring  her  up  to  it." 

The  end  of  the  fast  had  been  passed  around 
a  pine-tree,  and  made  fast  at  the  bitts,  so  that  we 
could  unmoor  without  going  on  shore.  I  rang  to 
go  ahead ;  and  when  the  hawser  was  hauled  in, 


258  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

I  backed  the  steamer  away  from  the  bank.  I 
directed  the  deck  hands  to  keep  the  fireworks 
ablaze  that  I  might  see  where  to  steer.  I  soon 
discovered  the  Islander  and  the  building,  and  ran 
for  them  as  fast  as  possible.  As  we  had  the 
current  with  us,  we  made  at  least  fifteen  miles  an 
hour. 

As  the  Sylvania  came  nearer  to  her  consort, 
I  could  better  make  out  the  condition  of  things  on 
board  of  her.  The  building  appeared  to  be  some 
kind  of  a  workshop.  The  Islander  had  drove  her 
bow  through  its  side.  I  concluded  that  some 
of  the  boarding  and  studding  had  not  been  broken 
off.  The  bow  had  carried  them  within  the  struc- 
ture, and  the  lower  ends  had  dropped  down  on  the 
deck,  and  thus  prevented  the  vessel  from  with- 
drawing her  forward  part. 

As  we  came  nearer  to  her,  I  had  our  fenders 
hung  over  the  port  side.  We  had  two  gilded  axes 
slung  on  the  front  of  the  pilot-house,  which  had 
probably  never  been  taken  from  their  resting- 
places.  I  told  Ben  Bowman  to  take  one  of  these, 
and  Dyer  Perkins  the  other,  for  both  of  them  had 
had  some  experience  in  the  woods.  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  just  where  the  trouble  was.  I  di- 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  259 

reeled  Washburn  to  go  on  board  of  the  Islander 
when  we  got  alongside  of  her,  and  superintend  the 
cutting  away  of  the  boards  and  joists,  with  two 
more  men  from  the  other  steamer. 

Buck  and  Hop  were  to  stand  by  the  hawsers  by 
which  we  were  to  make  fast  to  the  Islander.  As 
soon  as  we  came  up  abreast  of  the  consort,  I  saw 
Colonel  Shepard  and  his  family  on  the  quarter- 
deck. They  were  very  much  alarmed  at  the 
situation,  for  Mrs.  Shepard  was  wringing  her 
hands  in  terror,  and  the  colonel  was  trying  to 
comfort  her.  As  soon  as  our  bow  came  abreast 
of  the  party,  Owen  made  a  long  leap  to  the  deck 
of  the  Islander.  It  was  a  careless  trick,  and  he 
deserved  to  fall  overboard  for  risking  his  life  when 
there  was  not  the  least  need  of  it.  As  soon  as  we 
were  fairly  alongside  our  consort,  the  deck  hands 
leaped  on  board  of  her  with  the  fasts,  and  we 
were  soon  securely  lashed  together. 

"  Stop  your  screw,  Captain  Blastblow ! "  I 
shouted,  though  I  realized  a  moment  later  that 
I  had  no  business  to  give  orders  to  him,  or  to 
undertake  to  manage  the  business  of  the  oc- 
casion. 

Washburn  leaped  on  board  with  his  two  axe- 


260  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

men,  and  I  heard  him  politely  ask  the  captain  to 
send  two  of  his  men  with  axes  to  assist  him.  Cap- 
tain Blastblow  not  only  stopped  the  steamer,  but 
he  instantly  ordered  his  mate  and  another  man  to 
do  what  the  mate  of  the  Sylvania  desired. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  go  ahead,  Captain 
Blastblow,"  I  continued,  trying  to  be  less  imper- 
ative than  before. 

"  If  you  see  the  way  out  of  this  scrape,  Captain 
Alick,  I  am  willing  to  do  anything  you  say," 
replied  the  captain  of  the  Islander. 

K  I  think  I  do  see  the  way  out  of  it ;  and  the 
best  plan  is  .to  go  ahead,  full  steam,"  I  answered. 

I  had  a  theory,  though  I  had  had  as  yet  no  op- 
portunity to  test  its  correctness.  I  called  Buck  to 
the  wheel,  and  told  him  to  steer  for  the  middle 
of  the  river.  I  was  afraid  if  the  building  struck 
the  bank  it  might  be  tumbled  over  on  the  steam- 
ers. I  went  on  board  of  the  Islander.  I  asked 
the  captain  to  steer  for  the  middle  of  the  river, 
and  then  went  forward  into  the  building.  My 
theory  in  regard  to  the  boarding  and  studding 
was  correct.  Washburn  was  directing  the  four 
men,  and  assisting  them  himself,  to  pull  out  the 
boards  and  joists.  They  had  little  occasion  to  use 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  261 

the  axes  after  the  two  steamers  began  to  go  ahead. 
Backing  the  Islander  had  tightened  up  every  piece 
of  lumber  that  had  been  forced  in  by  the  bow. 
The  harder  the  boat  pulled  back,  the  more  firmly 
the  joists  Avere  held  in  their  places.  It  was  no 
wonder  to  me  that  the  captain  had  not  been  able 
to  shake  off  this  unwieldy  burden. 

My  first  thought,  in  having  the  steamers  go 
ahead,  was  to  prevent  the  Islander  from  drawing 
out  of  the  building  while  my  men  were  in  it,  for 
they  might  have  been  crushed  by  the  swaying 
of  the  structure.  When  we  went  ahead,  we  not 
only  loosened  the  timbers  and  boards,  so  that  they 
could  be  removed  from  their  positions,  but  we 
prevented  the  Islander  from  coming  out  of  her 
lodging-place  until  the  hands  were  in  a  safe  part 
of  the  boat. 

"  There,  sir,  I  think  she  is  all  clear  now,"  said 
Washburn. 

I  could  find  nothing  to  impede  the  withdrawal 
of  our  consort's  bow,  and  I  sent  my  hands  back  to 
the  Sylvania,  and  directed  the  others  to  go  abaft 
the  pilot-house  of  the  Islander.  I  requested  Cap- 
tain Blastblow  to  keep  his  craft  going  till  I  rang 
my  gong.  I  returned  to  the  pilot-house  of  the 


262  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Sylvania,  and  rang  to  stop  her.  The  gong  of 
the  Islander  followed  suit  instantly.  I  waited 
a  minute  to  notice  the  effect.  I  expected  the  con- 
sort would  draw  out  of  her  "  chancery  "  at  once  ; 
but  she  did  not.  I  told  the  mate  to  see  that  our 
hawsers  were  good  for  a  hard  pull,  and  he  soon 
reported  them  fast  and  strong. 

"Now,  back  her,  if  you  please,  Captain  Blast- 
blow,"  I  called  to  the  Islander. 

At  the  same  time  I  rang  two  bells.  Both 
steamers  began  to  back  at  the  same  time.  The 
Islander  immediately  went  clear  of  the  building, 
which  continued  on  its  way  down  the  river.  No 
crash,  or  severe  wrench,  as  I  had  anticipated, 
attended  the  separation  of  the  steamer  and  its 
burden. 

"You  are  all  right  now,  Captain  Blastblow ! " 
I  shouted,  rejoiced  that  he  had  got  rid  of  his 
incubus. 

"Thank  you,  Captain  Alick,  for  your  assistance  ; 
and  I  think  we  will  lie  up  with  you, "answered  the 
captain  of  the  Islander. 

We  cast  off  the  fasts,  and  the  consort  followed 
us  up  to  the  place  where  we  had  moored  before, 
and  made  fast  to  a  tree  just  below  us.  Presently 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  263 

the  captain  came  up  to  pay  us  a  visit.  I  inquired 
about  his  prisoners  first,  and  learned  that  they 
were  under  the  care  of  Captain  Cayo  in  the  fore- 
cabin. 

"  Our  people  seem  to  think  you  were  looking 
for  a  night's  lodging  in  that  floating  building, 
Captain  Blastblow,"  I  said. 

"Well,  not  exactly,"  added  the  captain.  "We 
have  been  very  sorry,  for  the  last  hour  and  a  half, 
while  we  were  dragged  down  the  river  by  that 
building,  that  we  did  not  follow  your  example, 
and  hang  up  for  the  night." 

"Where  did  you  pick  up  that  house,  captain?" 
asked  Owen. 

"I  kept  a  sharp  look-out  on  the  top-gallant 
forecastle ;  but  none  of  us  saw  the  building 
until  it  was  too  late  to  get  out  of  the  way,"  re- 
plied Captain  Blastblow.  "  Following  the  example 
of  Captain  Alick,  I  kept  as  close  to  the  shore 
on  the  port  side  as  possible.  About  an  hour 
after  we  left  you,  I  saw  something  black  loom  up 
before  me,  and  the  next  instant  we  struck  her  at 
full  speed.  The  house  had  floated  out  of  a  bayou, 
I  found,  which  was  the  reason  we  did  not  see  it 
sooner.  It  was  a  building  where  they  worked  on 


264  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

rice.  It  was  stretched  across  a  creek,  so  that  the 
rice  could  be  dropped  into  a  boat  under  it.  We 
have  a  white  man  and  two  negroes  on  board  that 
we  saved  from  it." 

After  a  long  talk,  in  which  Captain  Blastblow 
did  me  the  honor  to  say  that  I  was  a  "smart 
boy,"  he  returned  to  his  craft,  and  the  rest  of  us 
turned  in. 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  265 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

AN   EMBARRASSING    SITUATION. 

I  "WAS  on  my  feet  at  daylight ;  but  I  found  that 
Moses  Brickland  and  Dyer  Perkins  were  up 
before  me.  They  had  opened  up  the  fires,  drawn 
the  clinkers  from  the  furnaces,  and  were  now  oil- 
ing the  engine.  They  had  nearly  steam  enough 
to  enable  us  to  start  up  the  river.  Everything 
looked  very  quiet  on  board  of  the  Islander,  and 
there  was  np  smoke  issuing  from  her  smoke-stack. 
I  jumped  ashore,  and  the  first  thing  I  noticed 
was  that  the  water  was  more  than  a  foot  higher 
than  it  was  the  night  before.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  there  must  be  an  inundation  above  us.  I 
found  no  one  stirring  on  board  of  the  consort, 
and  I  went  on  deck.  I  knocked  at  the  door  of 
the  chief  engineer.  I  told  him  I  intended  to  get 
under  way  in  the  course  of  fifteen  minutes,  and  I 
did  not  care  to  leave  the  Islander  behind.  He  got 
up  at  once,  and  called  his  starboard  fireman. 


266  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Without  standing  on  any  ceremony,  I  walked 
into  the  captain's  state-room,  and  told  him  I  should 
be  off  in  fifteen  minutes.  I  found  he  had  given 
no  orders  about  starting,  but  I  assured  him  his 
engineer  and  fireman  were  attending  to  their  duty. 
I  bantered  him  a  little,  saying  I  did  not  leave  him 
behind  for  fear  he  would  get  into  trouble.  He 
was  good-natured  about  it,  and  replied  that  he 
should  sail  in  the  company  of  the  Sylvania  if  pos- 
sible. He  admitted  that  we  could  outsail  him, 
for  he  had  done  his  best  to  keep  up  with  the  Syl- 
vania. 

"How  are  your  prisoners  getting  along?"  I 
asked,  for  I  had  thought  more  than  once  that 
they  might  escape  while  we  were  hauled  up. 

"They  were  all  right  last  night  when  I  turned 
in.  I  looked  this  place  over,  and  there  is  not 
more  than  half  an  acre  on  this  bank  that  is  not 
under  water,"  replied  the  captain.  "They  could 
not  get  away  without  a  boat." 

We  went  out  on  the  deck,  and  found  the  two 
quarter-boats  were  hanging  at  the  davits.  Cap- 
tain Cayo  had  charge  of  the  prisoners,  and  the 
fore-cabin  was  locked  every  night  before  they 
went  to  their  berths.  But  the  door  must  have 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  267 

been  opened  to  let  the  firemen  out.  I  told  the 
captain  that  he  had  better  make  sure  they  were 
safe  before  we  left  our  moorings,  as  it  would  be 
easier  to  find  them  now  than  it  would  be  after  we 
got  half  way  to  New  Orleans.  He  went  below, 
and  when  he  came  up  he  was  assured  they  were 
on  board. 

I  had  avoided  Nick  Boomsby  since  the  capture 
of  the  Islander,  for  I  knew  he  would  beg  me  to 
get  him  out  of  his  present  trouble.  I  could  not 
see  my  way  to  do  anything  of  the  kind,  and  there- 
fore I  kept  out  of  his  way.  I  remained  on  board 
of  the  steamer  until  the  engineer  reported  that  he 
had  steam  enough  to  go  ahead,  when  I  returned 
to  the  Sylvania.  The  fasts  were  cast  off,  and  by 
five  o'clock  we  were  again  stemming  the  tide  of 
the  mighty  river.  The  current  was  even  stronger 
than  it  had  been  the  day  before.  I  told  the  en- 
gineer to  let  the  steamer  go  at  her  ordinary  speed, 
and  the  Islander  kept  very  near  us. 

The  river  was  covered  with  lumber,  shanties 
swept  from  their  resting-places,  and  other  obstruc- 
tions ;  but  in  the  daytime  we  could  easily  avoid 
them.  It  was  half-past  seven  before  any  of  our 
passengers  came  on  deck.  We  were  passing  a 


268  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

little  village  that  seemed  to  be  struggling  for  ex- 
istence, for  the  high  water  was  crowding  hard 
upon  its  houses  and  other  buildings.  By  eleven 
o'clock  we  saw  several  villages,  and  some  very 
handsome  and  romantic  estates,  though  they  were 
mostly  covered  with  water. 

At  noon  the  city  was  in  plain  sight,  and  soon 
we  had  New  Orleans  on  one  side  and  Algiers  on 
the  other.  The  water  was  almost  up  to  the  top 
of  the  levees.  The  shores  were  crowded  with 
steamboats  and  sailing-vessels.  The  former  were 
entirely  different  from  any  I  had  ever  seen  before, 
though  for  some  time  after  I  saw  them  every  day. 
I  had  a  map  of  New  Orleans  in  a  large  atlas  I 
kept  in  my  room ;  and  I  had  decided  to  make  a 
landing  as  near  as  I  could  to  the  foot  of  Canal 
Street.  I  had  read  that  this  street  had  a  green, 
with  trees  extending  through  it. 

I  had  no  difficulty  in  identifying  it  when  I 
came  to  it.  At  the  foot  of  it  was  the  custom- 
house, said  to  be  one  of  the  largest  publicTbuild- 
ings  in  the  United  States ;  and  I  had  no  difficulty 
in  believing  the  statement.  In  front  of  it  was  the 
broad  levee  where  steamers  landed,  and  such  a 
forest  of  them  I  never  saw  before.  They  were 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  269 

packed  in  like  sardines,  and  I  could  find  no  open- 
ing by  which  I  could  get  to  the  shore. 

I  found  that  the  decks  of  the  steamers  were 
common  ground,  and  most  of  them  could  only 
be  reached  by  passing  over  others.  But  near  the 
levee  I  found  a  wharf,  the  lower  end  of  which  was 
under -water,  at  which  I  concluded  we  could  lie  by 
paying  wharfage.  I  ran  the  Sylvania  in  as  far  as 
I  could  and  made  fast.  The  Islander  came  up 
alongside  of  her,  and  was  secured  to  the  bow  and 
stern.  My  father  and  the  Tiffany s  concluded  to 
take  up  their  quarters  at  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,  so 
that  they  could  see  more  of  the  city.  I  called  a 
carnage  for  them  ;  and  then  the  Shepards  decided 
to  follow  their  example,  as  they  were  tired  of 
being  on  the  water  for  over  a  week. 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone  we  thought  it  was 
time  to  attend  to  the  disposition  of  the  prisoners. 
My  father  had  taken  the  money  with  him,  but  the 
hotel  was  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  wharf.  I  sent  Buck  Lingley  to  assist  Captain 
Cayo,  and  he  was  assigned  to  the  care  of  JSTick 
Boomsby. 

"Here  we  are,"  said  Captain  Blastblow,  after 
everything  had  been  put  in  order  on  both  vessels. 


270  UP   THE   RIVER  ;     OR, 

"  Do  you  expect  to  get  away  from  here  this  sum- 
mer?" 

"This  summer!  I  expect  to  get  away  from 
here  in  two  or  three  days,"  I  replied,  rather 
startled  by  the  remark  of  the  captain. 

"I  think  not,"  he  added,  shaking  his  head  om- 
inously. 

"Why  not?" 

"Are  you  a  lawyer,  Captain  Alick?"  demanded 
Captain  Blastblow,  with  a  Yery  comical  expression 
on  his  face. 

"I  am  no  lawyer,  not  even  a  sea-lawyer,"  I 
answered,  wondering  what  he  was  driving  at. 

"  Neither  am  I ;  but  it  has  occurred  to  me  that 
we  might  be  kept  here  longer  than  we  wanted  to 
stay." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"I  was  thinking  just  now  that  if  we  had  let 
Cornwood  and  Boomsby  escape  from  the  steamer 
last  night  it  would  have  saved  us  a  world  of 
trouble,"  added  Captain  Blastblow,  with  a  cun- 
ning leer  and  a  wink. 

"I  don't  understand  you,"  I  replied,  satisfied  by 
this  time  that  he  had  found  a  mare's  nest,  or  there 
was  some  kind  of  trouble  ahead. 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  271 

"We  have  two  men  in  the  fore-cabin  who  are 
charged  with  robbery." 

"One  of  them  is;  the  other  is  an  accomplice 
after  the  fact,"  I  replied. 

"That  sounds  as  though  you  had  been  a  lawyer 
all  your  life,  or  at  least  since  you  put  on  jacket 
and  trousers.  Au  accomplice  after  the  fact !  I 
suppose  that  he  took  part  in  the  robbery  after  it 
was  all  done." 

"It  means  that  Cornwood  took  the  money, 
knowing  it  was  stolen,  and  aided  and  abetted 
Boomsby  in  escaping.  In  my  opinion,  he  came 
down  to  Key  West  solely  to  get  part  of  the 
money.  But  no  matter  for  that ;  what  is  to 
keep  us  here  all  summer?"  I  asked. 

"I  presume  you  mean  to  hand  the  robbers  over 
to  the  police  of  New  Orleans?"  queried  Captain 
Blastblow. 

"That  is  the  only  thing  we  can  do,  unless  we 
carry  them  back  to  Florida ;  and  I  don't  care 
about  going  back  there  so  soon." 

"Just  so.  I  don't  know  anything  about  law; 
but  once  I  brought  in  a  fellow  in  my  vessel  who 
had  committed  a  crime  in  another  State.  One  of 
the  passengers  who  knew  all  about  the  crime  com- 


272  UP  THE  RIVER;    OR, 

plained  of  the  rascal,  and  he  was  hauled  up  before 
a  court.  It  so  happened  that  I  knew  something 
about  the  matter,  and  I  was  summoned  as  a  wit- 
ness, and  the  man  was  sent  to  jail.  I  could  iden- 
tify the  man,  but  no  one  else  could.  They  had  to 
send  south  for  a  requisition  from  the  Governor  of 
Georgia.  For  one  reason  and  another  it  took  two 
weeks  to  get  it,  and  I  had  to  stay  home  from  one 
trip  to  Savannah  to  appear  as  a  witness." 

"And  you  think  we  may  be  kept  here  as  wit- 
nesses," I  inquired,  with  no  little  anxiety. 

"We  are  dead  sure  to  be  kept  here  till  the 
Governor  of  Florida  can  send  an  officer  with  a 
requisition  for  the  prisoner.  It  will  take  at  least 
one  week  for  that,  and  it  may  take  two  or  three. 
Somebody  must  complain  of  Boomsby  and  Corn- 
wood  in  Jacksonville,  and  then  the  governor  must 
be  sure  that  it  is  all  right.  After  all  this  the 
Governor  of  Louisiana  must  be  sure  that  he  is  not 
sending  a  man  off  who  is  not  likely  to  be  guilty." 

The  situation  looked  rather  trying  to  me,  and  I 
decided  to  go  on  shore  and  have  a  talk  with  my 
father  about  it.  As  soon  as  I  reached  the  custom- 
house I  bought  a  Picayune,  and  -the  first  thing  I 
saw  in  the  paper  was  "Further  Details  of  the 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  273 

Great  Storm."  I  found  that  the  whole  country 
above  was  inundated,  and  that  it  was  expected  the 
river  would  rise  still  higher.  Many  railroads 
could  not  send  out  trains,  bridges  had  been 
carried  away,  and  many  lives  had  been  lost. 
It  was  an  appalling  state  of  things.  Vast  num- 
bers of  men  were  employed  in  strengthening  the 
levees  above  New  Orleans.  The  Missouri  River 
had  risen  higher  than  ever  before,  and  whole  vil- 
lages had  been  carried  away  in  the  North-western 
States. 

I  found  my  father  in  the  reading-room  of  the 
St.  Charles  devouring  the  contents  of  a  newspaper. 
He  began  to  give  me  the  startling  intelligence, 
but  I  told  him  I  had  just  read  it.  I  then  stated 
the  situation  in  relation  to  our  two  prisoners.  He 
was  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  a  long  delay,  for 
the  heat  was  intense  in  the  city.  Besides,  we 
were  not  sure  the  city  itself  would  not  be  inun- 
dated by  the  rising  waters. 

My  father  was  as  much  perplexed  as  I  was. 
Our  business  was  "Yachting  on  the  Mississippi," 
and  the  idea  of  being  detained  two  or  even  three 
weeks  for  the  officials  of  two  States  to  investigate 
a  case  that  was  plain  enough  to  us  was  hardly  to 


274  UP   THE    RIVER  ;     OR, 

be  endured  on  the  one  hand,  while  we  had  no 
desire  to  have  a  crime  go  unpunished  on  the 
other.  We  were  certainly  in  a  dilemma.  We 
decided  to  have  a  conference  with  the  rest  of 
the  party. 

We  found  them  in  the  ladies'  parlor.  Mrs. 
Shepard  was  fanning  herself  vigorously,  and  I 
judged  that  she  was  in  a  very  unhappy  state  of 
mind.  I  had  seen  very  little  of  my  passengers 
during  the  voyage  from  Jacksonville,  for  the 
heavy  sea  which  constantly  deluged  the  deck 
had  kept  them  in  the  cabin.  I  spoke  to  the 
colonel's  wife,  and  hoped  she  was  very  well. 

"I  am  not  well  at  all,  Captain  Alick,"  she  re- 
plied. "My  nerves  are  shaken  all  to  pieces  by 
the  voyage  from  Jacksonville,  and  if  my  husband 
owns  the  Islander  for  the  next  twenty  years  I 
shall  never  go  to  sea  in  her  again." 

"Indeed,  is  it  so  bad  as  that?  But  you  have 
not  been  in  the  Islander  in  any  very  neavy 
weather,"  I  added. 

"  I  was  in  the  Sylvania  when  I  never  expected 
to  see  land  again ;  and  I  shall  never  forget  that 
terrible  time  after  the  shipwreck,  for  I  never  suf- 
fered so  much  in  one  night,  though  I  have  crossed 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  275 

the  Atlantic  four  times.  I  am  told  that  you  man- 
aged the  Sylvania  very  well,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
of  it ;  but  it  was  a  terrible  storm  for  such  a  small 
vessel.  Last  night  I  wished  I  was  in  the  Syl- 
vania, for  I  was  very  much  alarmed  when  we  were 
carried  down  the  river  by  that  terrible  building." 

"My  wife  don't  feel  safe  in  the  city,"  added 
Colonel  Shepard .  "  She  is  afraid  we  may  be  in- 
undated here.  She  prefers  to  be  on  board  of  the 
steamer,  and  wants  to  start  up  the  river  immedi- 
ately." 

"I  do  feel  safer  on  the  river  than  I  do  on 
shore,"  said  Mrs.  Shepard.  "I  heard  there  was 
a  case  of  yellow  fever  in  the  city." 

"Impossible,  so  early  in  the  season,"  replied  her 
husband. 

"At  any  rate,  I  don't  want  to  stay  here  another 
day." 

The  lady  was  nervous,  but  she  could  not  help 
it ;  and  her  health  seemed  to  be  falling  back  under 
the  excitement  of  the  recent  trip. 

Our  conference  resulted  in  a  decision  to  sail  up 
the  river  next  morning,  taking  our  prisoners  with 
us.  I  went  back  to  the  wharf,  and  informed  Cap- 
tain Blastblow  of  the  wishes  of  the  party. 


276  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

Cornwood  and  Nick  seemed  to  be  very  well 
satisfied  with  their  condition  on  board.  But  I 
wanted  to  see  something  of  the  city  if  the  passen- 
gers did  not,  and  Washburn  and  I  used  up  the 
afternoon  in  going  to  the  principal  points  of  inter- 
est. It  would  take  a  whole  volume  to  give  my 
impressions  of  New  Orleans ;  but  that  is  no  part 
of  my  present  purpose.  At  nine  o'clock  the  next 
morning  our  passengers  came  on  board,  and  we 
started  up  the  river. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  277 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A   CREVASSE   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI. 

WHEN  Mrs.  Shepard  came  on  board,  she 
seemed  to  be  more  composed.  She  de- 
clared that,  when  the  whole  country  was  under 
water,  she  felt  better  to  be  in  a  boat.  During  the 
night  the  water  had  risen  nearly  a  foot,  and  the 
citizens  were  not  a  little  alarmed.  Hundreds  of 
laborers  were  at  work  on  the  levees,  and  several 
small  crevasses  had  been  made  a  few  miles  above 
the  city.  We  had  engaged  a  pilot,  though  rather 
for  the  information  he  could  give  us  than  be- 
cause we  needed  him  in  the  navigation  of  the 
river. 

Captain  Cayo  had  taken  leave  of  us,  and  Colonel 
Shepard  had  paid  his  bill  for  services  and  ex- 
penses. I  liked  the  pilot  very  well ;  and  I  was 
sorry  to  lose  him.  The  white  man  and  the  ne- 
groes rescued  from  the  floating  building  stayed  on 
board  as  long  as  we  remained  at  the  wharf.  It 


278  UP   THE    RIVER  ;     OR, 

was  not  easy  for  them  to  return  to  their  homes  ; 
and  they  had  no  money  to  pay  for  their  food  and 
shelter.  We  made  up  a  liberal  purse  for  them, 
and  divided  it  equally  among  them;  and  they 
went  ashore  very  grateful  to  us  for  what  we  had 
done.  Captain  Blastblow  said  they  made  more 
money  by  coming  with  us  than  they  could  by 
staying  at  home. 

At  Colonel  Shepard's  request  we  "  lashed  boats" 
for  the  sociability  of  the  thing.  We  rigged  a 
plank  bridge,  with  a  railing  to  it,  so  that  the  ladies 
could  pass  from  one  steamer  to  the  other  without 
assistance,  though  Owen  was  always  ready  when 
the  young  ladies  wished  to  pass  from  one  to  the 
other.  After  this  job  had  been  done,  I  went  for- 
ward and  found  Corn  wood  at  the  helm,  where  I 
had  left  the  pilot.  I  was  not  exactly  pleased  to 
see  him  at  the  wheel.  After  we  had  left  the 
wharf,  Nick  and  the  Floridian  had  been  permitted 
to  enjoy  the  liberty  of  the  deck,  for  I  did  not 
believe  they  would  be  likely  to  attempt  to  escape 
while  the  country  seemed  to  be  covered  with  water 
in  every  direction. 

"What  are  you  doing  there,  Comwood?"  I 
asked,  as  I  entered  the  pilot-house. 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  279 

"  The  pilot  has  gone  below  for  some  matches, 
and  I  offered  to  take  the  wheel  while  he  was 
absent,"  replied  Cornwood,  in  the  mildest  of 
tones. 

"  I  will  thank  the  pilot  to  call  a  deck-hand  when 
he  wants  to  be  relieved,"  I  replied. 

"  You  think  I  mean  mischief,  I  dare  say,"  he 
added,  with  his  silky  smile ;  "  but  you  can  see 
that  I  can  do  no  harm  if  I  desired  to,  which  I  do 
not.  Captain  Blastblow  is  at  the  wheel  of  the 
other  steamer." 

At  this  moment  the  pilot  came  in,  with  a  cigar 
in  his  mouth,  and  took  the  wheel. 

"  Captain  Garningham,  I  should  like  to  have  a 
little  talk  with  you,"  said  Cornwood.  He  led  the 
way  to  a  couple  of  chairs  on  the  forecastle,  which 
had  just  been  abandoned  by  the  young  ladies. 

"  Captain  Garningham,  I  have  been  subjected  to 
such  an  outrage  as  I  never  before  experienced  in 
my  life,"  said  the  Floridian. 

"  I  think  you  cannot  greatly  wonder  at  it,"  I 
replied. 

"  Should  you  wonder  at  it  if  a  party  were  to 
come  on  board  of  the  Sylvania,  take  you  by  force, 
strip  you  almost  to  the  skin,  and  rob  you  of  your 


280  UP  THE  RIVER;   OK, 

money?  That  is  precisely  my  case,  and  you  say 
I  need  not  greatly  wonder  at  it,"  continued  Corn- 
wood,  as  mildly  as  he  had  begun. 

"  I  think  my  case  would  be  a  little  different  from 
what  yours  was,"  I  replied. 

"  As  yet  I  have  not  even  been  informed  of  the 
cause  of  such  brutal  treatment.  If  you  had  stayed 
a  few  hours  longer  in  New  Orleans,  and  had  not 
treated  the  men  you  picked  up  on  the  house  so 
liberally,  I  should  have  sought  a  remedy  in  a  writ 
of  habeas  corpus" 

"  I  don't  think  you  were  quite  ready  to  adopt 
such  a  course  as  that,  for  it  would  have  resulted 
in  having  you  sent  to  the  calaboose  to  wait  for  a 
requisition  from  the  Governor  of  Florida,"  I  an- 
swered, laughing  at  what  I  considered  the  absurd- 
ity of  the  proceeding.  "  The  only  reason  we  did 
not  hand  you  over  to  the  police  was  that  we  were 
afraid  of  being  detained  as  witnesses." 

"  I  understand  you ;  and  I  prefer  to  fight  this 
battle  in  some  other  State  than  Louisiana.  I  shall 
not  try  to  escape  ;  and  I  know  that  Nick  Boomsby 
will  not.  If  I  am  not  always  honest,  I  am  now  ; 
and  I  assure  you  I  don't  know  the  reason  for 
the  savage  treatment  I  received  on  board  of  the 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  281 

Islander  ;  and  I  will  thank  you  to  tell  me.  In  a 
word,  I  entreat  you  to  do  so." 

I  concluded  that  Cornwood  wanted  to  prepare 
for  his  defence,  for  I  was  satisfied  that  he  under- 
stood the  charge  as  well  as  I  did.  But  he  seemed 
to  be  so  earnest  over  the  matter  that  I  went  over 
the  case  for  him. 

"  When  you  started  from  St.  Augustine  to  re- 
cover the  Islander,  you  were  satisfied  that  Nick 
Boomsby  had  stolen  the  four  thousand  dollars,"  I 
proceeded. 

"  On  the  contrary  I  was  satisfied  that  Buckner 
stole  it,"  interposed  Cornwood. 

"  I  am  stating  my  belief,  be  it  right  or  wrong. 
When  I  told  you  about  the  sailing  of  the  Islander 
without  her  owner  and  his  family,  you  were  satis- 
fied that  Nick  was  on  board  of  her,  and  that  he 
had  the  money  stolen  from  the  messenger." 

"  Nothing  could  be  farther  from  the  truth ;  but 
go  on,"  added  the  Floridian. 

"  You  would  not  have  gone  to  Key  West  to  stop 
the  Islander  at  your  own  expense." 

"  I  did  go  at  my  own  expense,"  added  Corn- 
wood,  with  a  smile. 

"  But  not  to  stop  the  Islander,"  I  added. 


282  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  I  admit  that  I  had  another  mission  there.  1 
had  been  thinking  of  going  to  Key  West  on  busi- 
ness for  a  week." 

"  When  you  got  there  you  forged  a  letter  to 
Captain  Blastblow,  to  induce  him  to  leave  before 
the  arrival  of  the  Sylvania,"  I  added. 

"  That  was  a  little  harmless  strategy  to  enable 
me  to  carry  out  the  purpose  for  which  I  went  to 
Key  West,"  added  Cornwood,  with  the  smoothest 
of  smiles. 

"  I  never  heard  forgery  called  by  that  name 
before,"  I  replied,  with  becoming  severity. 

"  It  was  not  to  obtain  money,  or  any  other  val- 
uable consideration  from  Colonel  Shepard  that  I 
wrote  his  name.  Why,  I  could  have  made  two 
hundred  dollars  by  detaining  the  Islander,"  said 
the  Floridian,  with  spirit. 

"  Instead  of  doing  what  he  employed  you  to  do, 
you  sold  him  out,  and  let  his  steamer  go  off  with- 
out him.  You  were  satisfied  that  Nick  had  the 
four  thousand  dollars  with  him,  and  you  were 
bound  to  have  the  half,  if  not  the  whole  of  it.  It 
looks  like  a  plain  Case." 

"  You  are  taking  an  entirely  wrong  view  of  the 
matter,  Captain  Garningham,"  protested  Corn- 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  283 

wood.  "  I  shall  be  able  to  prove  in  due  time  that 
you  are  utterly  mistaken." 

"  Two  thousand  dollars  were  found  on  you,  and 
the  same  on  Nick." 

"I  grant  that  this  fact  has  a  suspicious  look 
about  it ;  and  I  can  not  greatly  blame  you  for 
your  course,  though  the  brutality  exercised  upon 
me  was  entirely  unnecessary.  Now  I  will  explain 
the  whole  matter  to  you  just  as  it  was ;  and  you 
will  see  that  you  were  greatly  mistaken." 

"  I  am  ready  to  hear  anything  you  have  to  say," 
I  replied. 

"  That  four  thousand  dollars  is  a  rather  annoy- 
ing coincidence,"  he  began. 

"I  should  think  it  might  be,"  I  added. 

"  You  quite  mistake  my  meaning.  I  am  willing 
to  admit  that  I  have  told  professional  lies  in  the 
interest  of  my  clients.  I  am  Buckner's  counsel, 
though  I  told  you  to  the  contrary.  He  admitted 
his  guilt  to  me." 

"Did  he,  indeed?  Did  he  tell  you  what  he  did 
with  the  package  of  bills  after  he  took  it  from  the 
counter?" 

"  He  did  :  he  acknowledged  that  he  was  guilty, 
and  told  me  how  it  was  done,"  replied  Corn  wood, 


284  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

with  easy  assurance,  of  which  I  had  seen  a  great 
deal  on  his  part.  "Buckner's  wife  was  at  the 
door  of  the  saloon,  and  he  gave  the  package  to 
her  as  he  rushed  out.  She  had  it  under  her  shawl 
before  Nick  got  half  way  to  the  door.  She  went 
home ;  and  my  client  considers  it  a  successful 
affair.  He  offered  me  five  hundred  dollars  to  get 
him  out  of  the  scrape,  and  that  is  the  fee  for 
which  I  am  working  just  now,  in  part." 

"And he  gave  you  the  money,  did  he?  "  I  asked, 
hardly  able  to  keep  from  laughing  in  the  face  of 
the  guileless  Floridian. 

"  Not  he,  for  his  wife  started  for  Kentucky,  or 
some  other  state,  as  soon  as  she  got  the  money. 
This  is  where  the  unlucky  coincidence  comes  in. 
My  first  business  in  Key  West  was  to  see  that 
Nick  did  not  return  home,  as  I  feared  you  would 
compel  him  to  do  when  you  found  him  on  board 
of  the  Islander.  My  second  was  to  pay  four  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  I  drew  from  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Florida  Friday  morning  before  I  started 
for  Cedar  Keys." 

"  O,  I  see  !  That  was  where  the  four  thousand 
dollars  came  from,"  I  exclaimed. 

"  Precisely  so.     I  was  to  pay  it  into  the  Marine 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  285 

Court,  pending  a  suit  in  which  I  was  interested, 
against  a  salvage  company." 

"But  you  did  not  pay  it  in." 

"How  could  I  when  it  was  Sunday?  I  in- 
tended to  do  so  the  next  day.  When  I  found  that 
Nick  did  not  mean  to  stop  in  Key  West,  I  directed 
Captain  Blastblow  to  get  up  his  anchor  and  hurry 
to  New  Orleans  before  the  Sylvania  came  in.  I 
could  not  get  ashore  myself  when  I  had  induced 
Nick  to  continue  the  voyage.  The  four  thousand 
dollars  was  a  burden  to  me,  and  I  asked  Nick  to 
take  part  of  it  from  me  to  keep  till  we  got  to  our 
destination.  The  loss  of  it  would  ruin  me,  and 
I  thought  it  would  be  safer  in  the  care  of 
two  persons  than  one.  That's  the  substance  of 
it,  and  you  can  see  that  it  explains  the  whole 
affair." 

"  I  see  it  does  :  it  makes  it  all  as  clear  as  Missis- 
sippi mud,"  I  replied,  laughing  heartily. 

"  You  evidently  do  not  believe  the  statement  I 
have  made,"  said  the  Floridian,  looking  very  much 
wounded  in  his  feelings. 

"  Whether  I  do  or  not,  Cornwood,  we  will  not 
quarrel  about  it,"  I  added,  as  good-naturedly  as  I 
could. 


286  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  I  will  show  you  some  documents  I  have  in  my 
valise  which  will  make  it  all  as  clear  as  the  pure 
waters  of  Green  Cove  Springs." 

"I  think  I  will  not  look  at  them  at  present. 
Has  Nick  learned  this  story  by  heart?"  I  inquired. 
"He  used  to  be  a  very  bungling  liar  when  we 
were  small  boys  together ;  and  I  don't  know 
whether  he  has  improved  any  or  not." 

"I  think  it  is  rather  cruel  of  you,  Captain  Gar- 
ningham,  to  sport  with  my  feelings  when  I  have 
been  subjected  to  such  inconvenience  and  discom- 
fort by  you." 

"  I  must  be  candid  with  you,  Cornwood.  If  I 
take  your  statement  for  the  truth,  I  judge  that 
you  are  liable  to  the  state  prison,  or  whatever  you 
call  it  in  Florida,  for  what  you  have  done.  You 
know  that  Buckner  is  guilty,  but  you  are  engaged 
in  a  conspiracy  to  keep  the  principal  witness  out 
of  court,  which  makes  you  virtually  an  accomplice 
to  the  crime." 

:t  You  forget  the  duty  I  owe  my  client, 
who  has  entrusted  his  sacred  liberty  in  my 
keeping." 

"  Most  of  the  lawyers  I  ever  knew  were  honest 
men,  and  I  don't  believe  one  of  them  would  resort 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  287 

to  such  a  trick  to  clear  his  client.  What's  all 
that?"  I  exclaimed,  as  I  saw  a  gathering  on  the 
levee  of  the  right  bank  of-  the  river. 

"  A  crevasse  in  the  levee,"  said  the  pilot.  "  It's 
a  had  one,  too." 

A  steamboat  was  backing  her  wheels  near  the 
opening,  evidently  to  prevent  being  sucked  into  the 
breach  by  the  furious  current  that  poured  through 
it.  Quite  a  number  of  men  were  assembled  on  the 
levee,  but  they  seemed  to  be  incapable  of  doing 
anything  to  stop  the  flow  of  the  water.  When  we 
came  abreast  of  the  crevasse,  we  could  see  through 
it  to  the  country  beyond.  It  was  covered  with 
water,  which  was  pouring  in  through  the  breach  at 
a  frightful  rate. 

"That  was  done  by  the  crawfish  that  burrow 
into  the  levees,  for  I  see  some  of  their  houses  on 
the  top,  where  they  go  when  it  is  high-water,"  said 
the  pilot. 

Just  then  a  row-boat  came  to  the  crevasse,  and 
fearlessly  headed  into  the  opening.  In  an  instant 
it  was  swamped,  and  the  two  men  it  had  con- 
tained were  struggling  in  the  mad  current.  They 
held  on  to  tneir  oars,  and  were  swept  rapidly 
inland. 


288  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  There  will  be  a  hundred  lives  lost  by  that 
break,"  added  the  pilot.  "There  are  several  plan- 
tations on  that  knoll,  and  the  water  is  lifting  the 
houses  on  it." 

I  could  see  the  houses  toppling  over,  half  a  mile 
from  the  levee. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  289 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

SAILING   ACROSS   THE   FIELDS. 

I  WAS  appalled  at  the  terrible  sight.  It  was  an 
open  country,  and  there  were  few  trees  to  be 
seen,  except  around  the  houses  at  the  plantations. 
It  looked  like  an  inland  sea.  I  saw  the  two  men 
struggling  in  the  water  at  some  distance  from  the 
levee.  They  were  evidently  trying  to  touch  bot- 
tom with  their  feet,  but  the  water  was  over  their 
heads. 

"How  deep  is  the  water  on  that  flat,  Mr. 
Pilot?"  I  asked,  not  a  little  excited  at  the  idea 
of  witnessing  such  a  loss  of  life  as  he  had  pre- 
dicted. 

"  I  should  say  it  was  from  eight  to  ten  feet  deep 
all  the  way  to  those  plantations,"  he  replied. 

"  Why  don't  one  of  the  steamers  waiting  here 
go  over  to  the  assistance  of  those  poor  people  ? " 
I  inquired. 

"They  can't  get  through,  and  they  would  be 


290  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

swamped  if  they  should  try  it.  The  breach  is  not 
more  than  thirty  feet  wide,  and  these  boats  would 
stick  till  they  were  torn  to  pieces.  They  are  so 
low  in  the  water  that  it  would  put  their  fires  out 
when  they  went  through  and  fill  their  holds." 

I  looked  about  the  decks  of  both  our  steamers, 
and  found  that  all  the  passengers  were  on  board 
of  the  Islander.  I  told  Ben  Bowman,  who  was  on 
duty  in  the  engine-room,  to  put  on  all  the  steam 
she  could  safely  carry.  He  assured  me  he  had 
enough  for  anything. 

"Look  out,  Captain  Blastblow,  if  you  please, 
for  I  am  going  to  cast  off,"  I  called  to  the  Islander. 
"  Keep  the  ladies  in  a  safe  place.  All  the  Syl- 
vanias  on  board  !  " 

I  went  into  the  pilot-house,  and  rang  to  back 
the  steamer.  I  kept  her  moving  until  we  were 
in  the  middle  of  the  river.  I  had  carefully  exam- 
ined the  crevasse,  and  I  judged  that  the  water  was 
not  more  than  two  feet  lower  on  the  flat  than  it 
was  in  the  river. 

"How  deep  is  the  water  in  the  cut,  Mr.  Pilot?" 
I  asked. 

"  Not  less  than  eight  feet ;  and  it  may  be  ten. 
You  can't  tell." 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  291 

I  stopped  the  Sylvania,  and  then  rang  to  go 
ahead  at  full  speed. 

"  Are  you  going  through  the  crevasse  ? "  de- 
manded the  pilot. 

"  I  see  no  difficulty  in  doing  so.  Mr.  Wash- 
burn,  see  that  every  opening  in  the  deck  and  deck- 
house is  closed  and  securely  fastened." 

"  It  will  be  a  ticklish  business  to  go  through  that 
breach,"  said  the  pilot,  shaking  his  head. 

"  Would  you  let  a  hundred  people  drown  without 
doing  any  thing  to  save  them  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Not  if  I  could  help  it.  I  am  willing  to  do  all 
I  can ;  but  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  your  boat  made 
a  dive  into  the  mud  on  the  other  side  of  the 
levee,  and  stuck  there." 

"If  she  does  we  have  two  life-boats  at  the 
davits,"  I  replied. 

The  Sylvania  soon  got  up  her  best  speed,  and 
the  pilot  steered  the  steamer  for  a  point  just  above 
the  crevasse.  I  closed  the  windows  of  the  pilot- 
house, and  directed  all  hands  to  go  on  the  hur- 
ricane-deck, except  the  engineers  and  firemen. 

"I  think  you  ought  to  stop  the  engine,  for  she 
will  go  through  quick  enough  without  any  help," 
suggested  the  pilot. 


292  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

"  We  must  have  steerage-way,  or  we  can  do 
nothing,"  I  replied  with  quick  tones,  for  we  were 
within  a  few  fathoms  of  the  whirl  of  waters  that 
were  dashing  through  the  crevasse.  I  felt  the 
speed  of  the  steamer  increasing,  and  I  firmly 
grasped  the  wheel  with  the  pilot. 

r'  You  know  this  boat  better  than  I  do,  and  this 
business  is  a  little  out  of  my  line  ;  but  I  will  help 
you  all  I  can,"  said  the  pilot,  who  seemed  to  be 
fully  self-possessed,  though  he  was  not  used  to 
handling  a  vessel  like  the  Sylvania. 

Washburn  came  into  the  pilot-house,  after 
seeing  that  all  the  openings  were  closed,  and  the 
ship's  company  disposed  in  safe  places. 

"  I  don't  think  you  will  have  any  trouble  going 
through  there,  Alick,"  said  the  mate. 

"  I  don't  know  as  you  will,  but  I  wouldn't  take 
a  river-boat  through  such  a  place  unless  she  was 
insured  for  her  full  value,"  added  the  pilot. 

"No  more  talking,  if  you  please,"  I  added. 

We  had  entered  the  rapid  current  that  swept 
into  the  crevasse.  It  was  a  thrilling  moment,  for 
the  next  minute  would  determine  whether  the 
Sylvania  was  to  be  swamped  or  not.  But  I  had  a 
reasonable  degree  of  confidence  in  the  vessel.  She 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  293 

had  always  done  all  I  expected  of  her,  and  I  could 
hardly  conceive  of  her  disappointing  me  in  this 
instance. 

The  people  assembled  on  the  levee  uttered  a 
long  and  deep  shout  of  warning  to  us,  but  we  had 
gone  too  far  to  recede  even  if  we  had  been  dis- 
posed to  do  so.  I  saw  the  two  men  who  had  been 
swamped  in  the  small  boat,  still  buoying  them- 
selves up  with  the  oars ;  and  beyond  them  the 
houses  tottering  over  as  they  were  undermined  by 
the  rising  waters.  The  sight  of  these  was  quite 
enough  to  keep  my  courage  up,  and  no  thought 
of  doing  anything  but  trying  to  save  those  who 
must  perish  without  assistance  came  to  my  mind. 

The  little  steamer  rushed  madly  into  the  open- 
ing, with  her  screw  turning  at  its  most  rapid  rate. 
When  she  had  reached  the  fall  she  made  a  tre- 
mendous dive,  as  it  were,  burying  her  bowsprit  in 
the  muddy  tide.  Tons  of  the  yellow  fluid,  loaded 
with  sediment,  flowed  in  on  the  forecastle  and 
swept  aft.  I  judged  by  the  shock  that  she  struck 
her  fore-foot  into  the  earth. 

The  muddy  water  swashed  up,  and  entirely 
covered  the  windows  of  the  pilot-house,  leaving 
enough  of  the  soil  to  make  the  glass  as  opaque  as 


294  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

the  levee  itself.  We  could  not  see  a  thing  outside 
after  this  volume  of  mud  was  discharged  upon  the 
windows.  But  in  another  instant  I  felt  the  bow 
of  the  steamer  rising.  The  screw  was  still  shaking 
the  vessel,  and  I  felt  that  no  great  injury  had  been 
done  to  her. 

"  Open  the  windows,  if  you  please,  Washburn," 
I  said,  trying  to  keep  as  cool  as  possible. 

"  We  are  all  right  now,"  added  the  pilot.  "  One 
of  our  river  steamers  would  never  have  come  up 
after  that  dive." 

I  rang  the  speed-bell  as  soon  as  I  felt  that  we 
were  fairly  through  the  cut  in  the  levee.  A  yell 
from  the  people  assured  us  that  we  were  all  right, 
if  we  did  not  find  it  out  before. 

"I  suppose  you  are  not  a  pilot  in  these  waters  ! " 
I  continued,  turning  to  Mr.  Bell,  for  that  was  his 
name. 

"  Well,  hardly,  in  these  waters :  at  any  rate  I 
never  took  a  steamboat  over  this  ground  before. 
But  I  reckon  I  can  do  it  as  well  as  any  other  man, 
for  I  was  raised  along  here,  and  I  know  the  lay 
*  of  the  land  as  well  as  the  water,"  replied  the 
pilot. 

The    escape   of    steam    from    the   safety-valve 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  295 

showed  me  that  the  engineers  had  slowed  down, 
though  I  could  not  yet  perceive  it  in  the  motion 
of  the  vessel.  We  were  approaching  the  two  men 
on  the  oars,  and  I  rang  to  stop  and  back  her. 
There  was  no  difficulty  in  steering  the  steamer 
after  we  were  out  of  the  swiftest  of  the  current, 
and  I  left  the  pilot-house. 

The  Sylvania  looked  as  though  she  had  been 
buried  in  yellow  mud  for  a  year,  and  had  just 
been  dug  out.  The  water  had  all  passed  out  at 
the  scupper-holes  and  swinging-ports ;  but  the 
deck  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  deck-house 
were  covered  with  the  mud  from  the  water.  All 
hands  except  the  chief  engineer  and  one  fireman 
had  come  out  of  the  hiding-places,  and  were  ready 
for  duty. 

"  Clear  away  the  starboard  quarter-boat,"  I 
called.  "  Mr.  Washburn,  you  will  pick  up  those 
men,  and  do  it  as  quick  as  possible,  for  we  are 
needed  at  those  plantations." 

The  crew  got  into  the  boat  and  lowered  it  into 
the  water.  In  a  moment  more  they  were  pulling 
with  all  their  might  for  the  two  men,  who  were 
some  distance  apart.  They  picked  them  up,  one 
at  a  time,  and  came  back  to  the  Sylvania.  They 


296  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

hooked  on  the  falls,  and  with  the  help  of  Ben 
Bowman  and  Hop  Tossford,  hoisted  the  boat  up  to 
the  davits.  The  two  men  rescued  from  the  water 
seemed  to  be  very  much  exhausted,  and  we  helped 
them  on  deck. 

The  moment  the  boat  was  out  of  the  water,  I 
rang  to  go  ahead.  I  told  Moses  to  let  her  run  at 
half  speed,  for  I  was  afraid  she  might  strike 
against  some  hummock,  or  other  obstruction,  and 
stick  in  the  mud,  which  would  cause  a  delay,  if 
nothing  worse.  I  sent  Buck  to  the  top-gallant 
forecastle  with  the  hand  lead,  and  he  reported 
eleven  feet. 

"  The  ground  is  low  here,"  said  the  pilot ;  "  but 
I  think  we  can  carry  eight  feet  up  to  the  knoll  on 
which  the  houses  stood.  They  must  have  had 
eight  or  nine  in  some  parts  of  it,  or  the  cabins  of 
the  niggers  wouldn't  have  been  upset." 

"  I  think  we  can  hurry  her  a  little  along  here," 
I  replied,  ringing  the  speed-bell. 

"  By  the  mark  twain,"  said  Buck. 

"  He  threw  the  lead  into  a  hole  that  time,"  added 
the  pilot. 

"  And  a  half-one,"  continued  Buck. 

K  You  will  hold  that  all  the  way  till  you  get  to 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  297 

the  knoll,"  said  Mr.  Bell.  "  We  are  going  at  a 
rattling  speed." 

"  We  shall  be  all  right  as  long  as  we  have  eight 
feet.  Our  coal  bunkers  are  pretty  well  emptied, 
and  I  don't  know  but  we  could  go  with  seven  and 
a  half.  It  is  plain  sailing  ;  but  we  must  feel  along 
when  it  gets  down  to  eight  and  a  half,"  I  replied. 

The  two  men  who  had  been  taken  from  the 
water  came  to  the  forecastle  at  this  moment.  They 
were  covered  with  yellow  mud,  and  of  course 
they  were  wet  to  the  skin.  But  it  was  a  hot  day, 
and  the  sun  was  shining  brightly.  When  I  asked 
them,  they  told  me  they  had  come  from  one  of  the 
steamers  that  had  stopped  at  the  levee  to  render 
assistance. 

"  Eight  feet  and  a  half,"  shouted  Buck. 

I  rang  the  speed  bell,  which  soon  reduced  our 
rate  one-half.  Buck  still  reported  eight  and  a  half. 
We  were  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  mansion- 
houses,  of  which  I  could  see  four,  the  lower  parts 
of  which  were  under  water.  We  could  see  the 
inmates  in  the  second  stories.  But  the  negro 
cabins  were  upset  and  many  of  them  were  floating 
about.  It  was  evident  enough  that  they  had  been 
built  on  lower  ground  than  the  residences  of  the 


298  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

planters.  The  knoll  was  covered  with  shade-trees 
and  shrubs,  and  the  estates  were  as  beautiful  as 
anything  I  ever  looked  upon  —  that  is,  what  I 
could  see  of  them  above  the  water. 

"  Eight  feet ! "  shouted  the  leadsman,  with 
energy. 

I  rang  to  stop  her,  for  I  could  feel  a  sort  of 
sensation  as  though  the  keel  of  the  Sylvania  was 
making  a  furrow  in  the  field  under  us.  The 
steamer  stopped  almost  as  soon  as  I  rang  the  bell. 
But  as  the  water  was  rising  instead  of  falling,  I 
I  did  not  feel  at  all  concerned  about  her  situation. 
I  immediately  ordered  both  boats  to  be  lowered. 
Ben  and  Hop  went  off  in  one,  and  Buck  and 
Landy  in  the  other.  Not  far  from  the  knoll,  which 
could  not  have  been  more  than  three  or  four  feet 
above  the  flat  over  which  we  had  been  sailing,  I 
saw  the  boat  the  two  men  from  the  steamer  had 
been  swamped  in.  I  told  Buck  to  tow  it  to  the 
steamer,  and  we  had  it  alongside  in  a  few  mo- 
ments. I  sent  the  quarter-boat  back  to  the  rescue 
of  the  people  in  the  houses  and  cabins.  The  river 
steamer's  boat  was  full  of  water.  We  drew  her 
under  the  davits  on  the  port  side,  made  fast  to  her, 
and  hauled  her  out  of  the  water,  hoisting  the  bow 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  299 

end  first,  so  that  the  water  would  run  out  of  her. 
When  both  ends  were  abreast  of  the  rail  of  the 
vessel,  we  tipped  her  over,  and  entirely  freed  her 
of  water.  I  sent  Washbum  and  Dyer  Perkins 
in  her  to  assist  the  other  two  boats. 

Even  at  this  important  hour,  the  abominably 
dirty  condition  of  the  Sylvania,  which  had  been 
bathed  in  mud,  actually  pained  me.  Away  from 
the  furious  current  of  the  crevasse,  the  mud  set- 
tled, and  the  water  was  comparatively  clean.  Cob- 
bington  and  the  two  waiters  had  been  at  work 
swabbing  the  quarter-deck,  but  with  no  good  re- 
sult. I  directed  the  engineer  to  rig  the  fire-engine, 
and  we  soon  drowned  the  decks  with  water.  This, 
with  the  swabs,  made  clean  work.  By  the  time 
the  first  boat  came  oft'  from  the  knoll,  the  Sylva- 
nia looked  nearly  as  neat  as  when  she  had  left  the 
great  river.  The  hot  sun  dried  the  planks  about 
as  soon  as  they  were  swabbed. 

In  the  port-boat,  under  the  direction  of  Ben 
Bowman,  was  a  family  of  four  persons  whom  I 
took  to  be  the  occupants  of  one  of  the  mansions. 
A  gentleman  and  his  wife,  with  a  son  and  daugh- 
ter, were  the  first  helped  on  board :  nearly  all  the 
others  were  negroes.  1  showed  the  white  people 


300  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR 

down  into  the  cabin,  and  directed  Cobbington  to 
do  all  he  could  for  their  comfort. 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  we  had  seventy- 
two  persons  whom  we  rescued.  We  were  unable 
to  find  any  more.  The  three  boats  had  searched 
every  house  which  could  contain  a  human  being. 
They  had  taken  men,  women  and  children  from 
the  trees,  as  well  as  the  houses.  We  sounded  the 
whistle  vigorously,  and  then  waited  for  any  call. 

There  were  no  more,  and  I  directed  the  pilot  to 
work  back  to  the  levee. 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  301 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


A   DESPERATE    STRUGGLE    WITH   THE    RUSHING 
WATERS. 


nnHE  water  had  risen  so  that  the  Sylvania  had 
-•-  swung  around  and  drifted  half-way  up  to  the 
knoll,  or  to  the  houses  on  the  highest  part  of  it. 
As  soon  as  we  were  under  way,  I  had  a  chance  to 
look  over  our  large  number  of  passengers.  Three- 
quarters  of  them  were  negroes,  mostly  house-ser- 
vants. I  was  told  that  the  field  hands  had  escaped 
in  another  direction  before  the  water  rose  high 
enough  to  prevent  it.  The  inundation  was  only 
partly  due  to  the  crevasse,  for  the  water  had 
broken  in  at  some  unknown  point  in  the  rear  of 
the  plantations. 

We  had  taken  off  the  four  families  that  occu- 
pied the  mansion  houses.  They  were  all  highly 
cultivated  people,  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  the 
highest  sense  of  the  words.  I  had  conducted  them 
all  to  the  main  cabin  ;  but  they  were  not  disposed 


302  ,  UP  THE  RIVER;   OR, 

to  remain  there.  They  wanted  to  see  how  the 
Sylvania  was  to  return  to  the  Mississippi  River, 
and  expressed  many  doubts  as  to  her  being  able 
to  make  her  way  through  the  crevasse  against  the 
strong  current.  I  had  some  painful  doubts  my- 
self in  this  direction.  I  had  told  the  engineer 
about  them,  and  hinted  that  we  should  want  all 
the  steam  he  could  carry.  But  it  was  only  a  ques- 
tion of  the  power  of  the  engine  to  force  the  vessel 
against  the  current.  There  would  be  no  pitching 
and  plunging,  such  as  we  had  experienced  in 
coming  the  other  way. 

We  had  not  long  to  deliberate  upon  the  matter 
of  our  exit  from  the  fields  over  which  we  had  been 
sailing.  As  the  water  had  risen  about  a  foot  in- 
side of  the  levee,  I  considered  our  chances  good 
of  going  through  without  much  difficulty.  I  went 
to  the  wheel,  and  took  a  place  by  the  pilot.  I  saw 
that  several  steamers  had  arrived  during  our  ab- 
sence, and  the  pilot  said  they  were  attached  to  the 
levee  force,  and  had  come  to  close  the  breach.  I 
could  not  see  how  it  was  to  be  done,  but  I  had  no 
time  to  think  of  the  matter.  I  rang  the  gong  one 
stroke  when  we  were  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
crevasse,  as  I  had  arranged  with  the  engineer  to  do. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  303 

The  Sylvania  soon  began  to  shake  and  quiver  as 
though  she  were  in  the  hands  of  an  angry  giant, 
under  the  pressure  of  the  steam.  I  had  sent  all 
the  passengers  to  the  after  part  of  the  vessel,  giv- 
ing the  planters  and  their  families  places  on  the 
hurricane-deck.  I  desired  to  trim  her  aft,  as  we 
had  hardly  coal  enough  in  the  bunkers  to  keep  the 
screw  entirely  under  water.  I  regarded  it  as  an 
excellent  thing  to  have  so  much  "  live  ballast "  on 
board.  I  gave  Buck  and  Hop  strict  orders  not  to 
let  a  single  person  come  on  the  forecastle. 

I  put  Cobbington  and  Ben  Bowman  on  the  hur- 
ricane-deck, to  keep  the  passengers  there  on  the 
after  part.  If  a  few  went  forward,  they  would  all 
do  so,  for  it  was  the  best  place  to  see  the  opera- 
tion of  the  steamer.  By  these  means  I  hoped  to 
keep  the  propeller  entirely  under  water,  and  thus 
get  the  full  benefit  of  its  action  on  the  swift  cur- 
rent. It  was  still  a  torrent,  but  by  no  means  so 
terrible  as  when  we  had  gone  through  before. 

Moses  Brickland  had  never  shaken  the  Sylvania 
as  he  was  shaking  her  now.  He  was  a  prudent 
young  man,  and  I  never  had  occasion  to  criticise 
what  he  did.  He  understood  the  present  situation 
as  well  as  I  did.  The  levee  force  was  waiting  to 


304  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

close  the  gap,  and  thus  save  many  more  lives  miles 
from  the  scene  of  its  operations.  We  must  get 
through  at  once,  or  the  gap  would  be  closed.  The 
abrupt  fall  was  not  more  than  a  foot  now,  and  I 
had  strong  hopes  that  we  could  overcome  it. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  the  water  was  rushing 
through  the  crevasse  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles 
an  hour.  The  arithmetic  of  the  situation  was 
therefore  all  against  me.  Moses  had  never  run 
the  Sylvania  more  than  twelve  knots  an  hour, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  hurry  her  to  do  that.  He 
had  told  me  he  could  get  fifteen  miles  an  hour  out 
of  her  on  a  great  emergency,  but  he  had  never 
been  disposed  to  try  it.  He  had  overhauled  the 
boiler  at  New  Orleans,  and  reported  it  in  first-rate 
condition.  Yet  I  could  not,  mathematically,  see 
how  a  vessel  going  fifteen  miles  an  hour  could 
stem  a  current  of  twenty  miles. 

But  the  force  of  the  current  was  merely  guess- 
work. It  might  be  twenty,  and  it  might  be  no 
more  than  ten  miles.  Mr.  Bell  agreed  with  me  on 
the  former  figure,  while  Washburn  and  Ben  Bow- 
man insisted  that  it  was  not  more  than  ten  at  the 
present  time.  If  I  "  split "  the  difference  between 
the  two  estimates,  it  would  leave  just  the  result 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  305 

which  the  engineer  could  obtain  on  an  emergency 
like  the  present. 

The  Sylvania  went  into  the  rapid  current,  which 
we  began  to  feel  at  fifty  yards  from  the  gap.  But 
it  did  not  stop,  or  even  sensibly  detain  us,  for  the 
water  was  scattered  as  soon  as  it  passed  through 
the  opening.  We  made  our  course  at  a  right 
angle  with  the  levee,  and  kept  the  helm  firmly 
against  any  tendency  to  "  wabble ;  "  for  if  the 
swift  tide  had  struck  her  on  the  side,  it  would 
have  hurled  her  around  in  spite  of  us. 

At  twenty  yards  from  the  levee  we  began  to 
slacken  our  speed,  for  here  we  got  almost  the  full 
force  of  the  current.  But  she  still  went  ahead, 
though  she  quivered  as  if  the  struggle  would  shake 
her  in  pieces.  Not  one  of  us  said  a  word  in  the 
pilotrhouse.  I  directed  the  helm,  for  I  was  more 
accustomed  to  the  working  of  the  steamer  than 
any  of  my  companions. 

The  bow  went  up  abreast  of  the  inside  of  the 
dike.  The  Sylvania  trembled  like  a  race-horse  after 
his  first  heat.  We  held  her  head  steadily  up  to 
the  work,  but  I  could  not  see  that  she  gained  a 
single  inch.  The  propeller  whirled  like  a  circular 
saw,  such  as  I  had  often  observed  in  the  lumber- 


306  up  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

mills  at  home.  I  almost  fancied  that  I  could  hear 
it  buzz. 

I  watched  the  edge  of  the  crevasse,  but  I  could 
not  see  that  we  either  gained  or  lost.  For  several 
minutes  we  struggled  against  the  savage  tide.  It 
was  a  desperate  situation.  The  people  on  the 
levee,  now  swelled  into  a  crowd  by  the  arrival 
of  several  steamers,  were  watching  us  with  intense 
interest.  No  one  spoke  a  word. 

"  Look  out  sharp  for  the  helm,  Mr.  Bell," 
I  shouted,  so  as  to  be  heard  above  the  roar 
of  the  rushing  waters  and  the  clang  of  the  en- 
gine. 

I  thought  he  did  not  respond  to  my  movements 
with  the  wheel  as  promptly  as  was  necessary.  I 
felt  that  the  least  turn  to  the  right  or  the  left 
would  be  fatal  to  us,  for  by  this  time  I  realized 
that  the  situation  was  vastly  more  perilous  than 
when  we  went  into  the  current  before.  The  least 
"wabble"  might  cause  the  current  to  strike  her  on 
the  side,  and  send  her  over  on  her  beam  ends 
in  the  vortex  below  us. 

"  Can't  you  crowd  her  a  little  more,  Moses,"  I 
called  through  the  speaking-tube. 

w  Not  much  more,"  he  promptly  replied. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  307 

"  We  are  not  losing  anything,"  said  the  pilot, 
holding  his  breath. 

"Mind  the  helm,"  I  replied,  for  I  felt  that  I 
could  not  hold  her  alone.  "  If  we  get  the  bow 
half  a  degree  across  the  current,  it  is  all  up  with 
us." 

"  I  can  hold  her  alone,  but  you  take  the  feeling 
off  my  hands,"  he  answered,  warmly. 

He  meant  that  I  began  to  move  the  wheel  before 
he  felt  the  pressure  on  his  hands,  for  one  steers  a 
vessel  very  much  as  he  drives  a  horse,  and  depends 
quite  as  much  upon  feeling  as  upon  sight.  My 
feeling  was  much  quicker  than  his,  and  I  would 
not  give  up  the  helm  to  him,  but  told  him  he  must 
watch  my  movements. 

"  We  have  gained  an  inch  I  "  exclaimed  the 
pilot. 

"  What  is  an  inch  going  through  such  a  torrent 
as  this  ?  "  I  replied,  though  I  felt  encouraged  by 
the  fact,  if  it  was  a  fact,  for  I  dared  not  look  to 
the  right  or  the  left,  as  he  did. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  the  steamer  would  soon  go 
through  the  crevasse  or  shake  herself  to  pieces  in 
the  struggle.  The  jar  and  the  quivering  were  so 
much  increased  that  I  was  sure  Moses  was  doing 


308  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

something  more  than  he  ordinarily  considered  his 
best.  In  a  few  minutes  more  we  had  worried  up 
the  little  fall,  which  indicated  the  difference  be- 
tween the  height  of  the  water  on  either  side  of  the 
levee.  We  had  gained  several  yards,  but  I  don't 
think  we  made  more  than  an  inch  a  minute ;  and 
those  minutes  seemed  like  hours. 

Suddenly  the  Sylvania  began  to  increase  her 
speed  through  the  water,  and  I  concluded  that  we 
had  passed  the  swiftest  part  of  the  current.  Wash- 
burn  informed  me  that  the  stern  of  the  steamer 
was  inside  of  the  cut,  and  I  felt  that  the  battle  was 
won.  Still  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  flagpole 
forward,  in  order  to  hold  the  vessel  in  the  middle 
of  the  gap. 

"  I  think  we  shall  fetch  it,"  said  Mr.  Bell. 

"  No  doubt  of  it,  if  we  don't  lose  our  chances 
by  talking  about  them,"  I  replied. 

The  pilot  said  no  more.  I  did  not  want  him  to 
abate  his  zeal  until  we  were  outside  of  the  levee, 
for  it  would  have  been  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world  to  lose  all  we  had  gained  by  the  struggle 
of  the  last  hour.  We  kept  it  up  half  an  hour 
longer.  When  the  bow  was  outside  of  the  levee, 
I  was  afraid  Bell  would  think  we  were  safe,  while 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  309 

it  was  still  possible  to  be  carried  back.  But  the 
steamer  increased  her  speed  every  moment  now, 
and  we  were  soon  out  in  the  broad  river.  I  kept 
her  on  her  course,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  clear 
of  the  treacherous  current,  she  darted  off  at  a 
furious  speed. 

"All  right,  Moses!"  I  shouted  through  the 
tube.  The  next  instant  I  heard  the  steam  escap- 
ing furiously  through  the  safety-valve.  I  had  no 
doubt  that  the  chief-engineer  felt  an  intense  relief 
when  he  heard  my  voice  the  last  time,  for  no 
money  or  any  consideration  short  of  the  safety 
of  the  Sylvania  would  have  permitted  him  to  put 
on  such  a  press  of  steam. 

"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Bell,  if  I  spoke  sharply  to 
you,  or  said  anything  that  hurt  your  feelings,  for 
I  meant  nothing  of  the  kind,"  I  said  to  the  pilot, 
when  we  were  in  the  middle  of  the  river. 

"Don't  mention  it,  captain,"  he  replied,  warmly. 
"I  can*say,  and  I  reckon  I  know  something  about- 
steamboats,  I  never  saw  a  boat  better  handled 
than  this  one  has  been  from  first  to  last.  I  thought 
I  had  only  a  boy  for  a  captain,  but  I  find  that  you 
understand  your  business." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Bell ;  you  are  very  kind  to 


310  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

say  so,"  I  replied,  with  a  blush.  "  I  think  I  know 
the  feeling  of  this  vessel's  helm  rather  better  than 
any  one  in  these  parts,  and  I  was  a  little  afraid 
you  might  not  see  the  necessity  of  keeping  her  up, 
without  any  wabbling." 

"  You  were  right  every  time,  captain.  I  never 
handled  a  craft  of  the  sort  before,  and  it  was  quite 
right  for  you  to  trust  her  to  no  one  but  your- 
self." 

As  soon  as  we  were  fairly  out  in  the  river,  the 
people  on  the  levees  set  up  a  volley  of  cheers, 
which  was  taken  up  by  the  negroes  on  board.  I 
saw  the  Islander  had  made  fast  to  a  steamer  a  little 
below  the  breach,  and  I  asked  the  pilot  to  lay  the 
Sylvania  alongside  of  her. 

"Young  man,  you  are  a  brave  boy,"  said 
Colonel  Hungerford,  the  planter  who  had  first 
come  on  board  of  the  steamer.  "I  was  on  the 
point  of  telling  you  before  you  started  back,  that 
•you  could  never  get  through  that  hole  ;  and  I  was 
going  to  tell  you  of  a  way  by  which  you  could 
have  got  through  the  lakes  and  streams  into  the 
Bayou  la  Fourche,  and  up  that  to  the  Mississippi. 
But  I  see  you  need  no  advice  from  me.  We  are 
all  very  grateful  to  you." 


YACHTING   OX   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  311 

"  I  beg  you  will  not  feel  under  any  obligation  to 
us,  for  we  are  sort  of  sea-knights,  roaming  about 
in  quest  of  adventures ;  and  we  were  very  glad 
of  the  opportunity  to  render  yo^u  and  others  any 
assistance.  I  believe  you  and  your  family  were  in 
no  particular  danger." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,  my  young  captain," 
replied  the  planter,  shaking  his  head.  "  My  man- 
sion is  surrounded  with  .verandahs,  and  the  water 
was  beginning  to  lift  it  off  its  foundations." 

I  took  my  glass  and  looked  at  the  house.  One 
end  of  it  appeared  to  be  lifted  up. 

"  I  would  not  have  staid  in  it  two  hours  more 
for  half  the  state.  I  have  been  through  three 
inundations  before,  and  I  know  something  about 
them,"  replied  the  planter.  "I  hope  I  shall  see 
more  of  you." 

As  we  came  up  to  the  Islander,  the  passengers 
of  both  vessels,  on  board  of  her,  began  to  clap 
their  hands.  I  was  embarrassed  by  this  demon- 
stration, and  after  asking  Washburn  to  see  that  we 
were  made  fast  to  our  consort,  I  sat  down  in  the 
pilot-house  where  they  could  not  see  me. 


312  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

THE    PLANTER    AND   HIS    FAMILY. 

T  WAS  quite  exhausted  after  my  efforts  and  the 
-•-  strain  put  upon  me,  and  I  was  in  no  humor 
even  to  be  praised.  Some  of  the  negroes  our 
boats  picked  up  on  planks  and  on  their  toppling 
houses  might  have  been  drowned ;  but  I  did  not 
believe  the  people  in  the  mansion-houses  were  in 
any  great  danger.  However,  I  had  never  seen 
an  inundation  before,  and  I  may  have  been  mis- 
taken. My  father  was  one  of  the  first  to  visit  me 
in  the  pilot-house. 

"You  have  done  well,  Alick,"  said  he ;  and  that 
was  all  he  did  say,  for  he  was  not  given  to  praising 
any  one  beyond  his  desert.  "  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  all  these  people  ?  " 

"We  can  land  them,  or  put  them  on  board  of 
one  of  the  steamers  here,"  I  replied ;  and  I  had 
not  thought  of  the  matter  before. 

"  Mrs.  Shepard  is  very  nervous  indeed,  and  is 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  313 

anxious  to  get  away  from  this  place,"  continued 
my  father. 

"  The  Islander  might  have  gone  on,"  I  sug- 
gested. 

"  We  could  not  leave  until  assured  that  you  did 
not  need  the  assistance  of  the  other  steamer.  We 
were  about  to  send  a  line  to  you  and  attach  it  to 
one  of  the  steamers.  The  only  trouble  was  to  get 
a  line  long  enough  and  strong  enough." 

While  we  were  talking  Colonel  Hungerford 
came  into  the  pilot-house.  I  introduced  him  to 
my  father,  and  the  planter  indulged  in  more  praise 
which  I  do  not  care  to  repeat.  He  informed  me 
that  he  had  chartered  one  of  the  river  steamers  to 
take  his  servants  and  those  of  the  other  planters 
down  to  Carrollton,  a  few  miles  below. 

"  I  am  now  going  on  board  of  another  steamer 
to  inquire  if  she  is  bound  up  the  river,  for  I  have 
concluded  to  visit  my  brother  at  Baton  Rouge. 
But  I  suppose  my  mansion  will  not  be  fit  to  live 
in  for  some  weeks  to  come,  if  ever.  I  desire  to 
know  your  address,  Captain  Alick,  —  excuse  me, 
but  that  is  what  I  hear  others  call  you,  —  that 
I  may  communicate  with  you  at  some  future 
time." 


314  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"Quite  unnecessary,"  said  my  father,  with  a 
smile,  as  though  he  suspected  the  object  of  the 
inquiry. 

"  But  I  desire  to  express  my  sense  of  obligation 
to  your  son  for  the  great  service  he  has  rendered 
me  and  my  family,"  persisted  the  planter. 

"  You  have  done  that  already,  sir,  to  my  entire 
satisfaction,"  I  added. 

"  You  are  very  strange  people,  not  to  allow  me 
to  do  something." 

"  We  are  decidedly  averse  to  having  anything 
done,"  replied  my  father,  laughing,  not  because 
anything  was  funny,  but  to  prevent  the  southern 
gentleman  from  taking  offence  at  what  he  said. 
"  My  son  owns  and  commands  this  yacht,  and  I 
dare  say  he  will  be  glad  to  have  you  take  passage 
in  his  steamer  to  Baton  Rouge,  or  any  other  point 
on  the  river  in  our  route." 

"  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  accept  your  very 
kind  invitation,"  replied  Colonel  Hungerford, 
promptly. 

By  this  time  the  steamer  he  had  engaged  to 
take  his  "  people,"  as  he  called  them,  like  one  of 
the  patriarchs  of  old,  came  alongside.  The  four 
planters  had  a  consultation,  as  to  what  disposition 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  315 

should  be  made  of  the  servants,  and  the  business 
manager  of  one  of  them  was  appointed  to  take 
the  entire  charge  of  the  party.  The  other  plant- 
ers were  going  to  New  Orleans,  and  the  same 
steamer  was  to  convey  them  there. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  boat  started,  and 
we  restored  things  to  their  former  condition  on 
board  of  the  Sylvania  and  Islander.  We  lashed 
boats  again,  and  restored  the  bridge  from  one  ves- 
sel to  the  other.  All  hands  were  employed  in 
cleaning  up  the  Sylvania ;  and  I  asked  Captain 
Blastblow  not  to  allow  any  of  his  passengers  or 
crew  to  come  on  board  till  this  had  been  done. 
He  complied  with  my  request,  and  sent  all  his 
crew  on  board  to  help. 

We  did  not  get  under  way  until  this  was  done, 
as  Moses  wanted  to  overhaul  the  engine  a  little, 
for  he  declared  that  such  a  wrenching  as  he  had 
given  the  machine  was  enough  to  start  half  the 
nuts  and  bolts.  My  father  remained  in  the  pilot- 
house talking  with  the  planter.  But  the  subject 
of  their  conversation  was  the  inundation.  I  lay 
upon  the  sofa,  resting  myself,  and  rather  dreading 
to  meet  the  people  on  board  the  Islander,  for  I 
had  been  praised  enough,  and  this  sort  of  thing 


316  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

was  becoming  more  embarrassing.  As  the  hands 
were  drowning  the  decks  again,  Washburn  brought 
the  family  of  Colonel  Hungerford  into  the  pilot- 
house, which  was  about  the  only  place  for  them, 
unless  they  went  into  the  cabin. 

The  planter  introduced  his  wife,  son  and  daugh- 
ter to  my  father  and  myself.  In  the  daughter  I 
saw  a  very  beautiful  young  lady  ;  the  son  was  very 
affable  and  pleasant,  and  the  father  and  mother 
were  not  less  so.  All  of  them  began  to  express 
their  obligations  to  me,  and  I  replied  as  cheerfully 
as  I  could. 

"  We  shall  have  a  very  pleasant  party  up  to 
Baton  Rouge,  Colonel  Hungerford,"  I  ventured  to 
Kay,  in  order  to  turn  the  current  of  the  conversa- 
tion. 

"  It's  no  use,  Blanche,"  said  the  colonel  to  his 
daughter,  who  had  been  the  last  to  speak.  "  Cap- 
tain Alick  won't  let  you  speak  of  any  obligation, 
and  he  won't  even  give  me  his  address." 

"  I  don't  think  he  has  any  address  in  particular 
at  present,"  interposed  my  father,  "  unless  it  be  on 
the  high  seas  or  the  Great  Lakes.  I  have  not  yet 
made  a  home  in  America,  as  I  intend  to  do.  When 
we  have  one,  we  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  you 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  317 

discharge  whatever  sense  of  obligation  you  may 
feel  by  making  us  a  visit ;  and  we  shall  judge  of 
the  depth  of  the  obligation  by  the  length  of  the 
visit." 

"  Upon  my  word,  that  would  be  an  odd  way  to 
discharge  an  obligation  ;  and  we  should  be  obliged 
to  stay  with  you  all  the  year  round,"  replied  the 
planter. 

The  young  lady  had  snapping  black  eyes ;  and 
1  saw  that  she  wanted  to  say  something,  but  was 
restrained  by  the  newness  of  the  acquaintance. 

"  If  we  had  got  out  on  the  river  half  an  hour 
sooner,  we  might  have  saved  imposing  ourselves 
upon  your  hospitality,  for  a  large  steamer  went 
up  then,"  said  Colonel  Hungerford.  "  She  stopped 
a  little  while  at  the  crevasse,  I  am  told,  but  find- 
ing she  could  do  no  good,  she  went  on." 

"  I  am  glad  she  did,  as  otherwise  she  would 
have  cheated  us  out  of  your  pleasant  company," 
replied  my  father. 

rr  You  are  very  kind,  Major  Garningham,"  re- 
plied the  colonel.  "  I  confess  I  am  greatly  inter- 
ested in  your  steamer,  for  I  never  have  seen  one 
like  it  before  that  I  can  remember." 

Washburn  reported  that  the  engine  was  in  order, 


318  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

and  that  the  cleaning  process  was  finished.  I  di- 
rected the  pilot  to  blow  his  whistle  and  go  ahead. 
In  a  few  minutes  we  were  again  stemming  the  tide 
of  the  Mississippi.  The  crowd  on  the  levees  and 
the  steamers  honored  us  with  a  series  of  rousing 
cheers,  to  which  the  pilot  replied  with  the  steam 
whistle. 

As  soon  as  we  were  fairly  out  of  the  vicinity  of 
the  late  exciting  scene,  the  passengers  of  the 
Islander,  including  Mrs.  Shepard,  came  on  board. 
They  were  all  presented  to  the  planter  and  his 
family,  and  of  course  there  was  a  great  deal  to 
say  about  the  inundation,  including  the  details  of 
the  escape  of  the  people  on  the  knoll.  I  found 
that  the  party  were  soon  the  best  of  friends,  and 
I  went  into  my  room  to  lie  down.  I  was  so  tired 
that  I  dropped  asleep. 

I  was  awakened  by  Captain  Blastblow  coming 
into  my  room.  He  seemed  to  be  considerably 
excited ;  but  I  was  sure  he  would  not  be  where 
he  was  if  any  accident  had  happened  to  either 
steamer. 

"Sorry  to  disturb  you,  Captain  Alick,  but  this 
has  been  a  very  exciting  time  ;  and  while  we  were 
all  so  busy,  your  two  prisoners  have  taken  to 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  319 

themselves  legs  or  wings,  and  cleared  out,"  said  he, 
with  a  lugubrious  gaze  at  me,  as  I  sat  upon  the 
bed. 

"  Cleared  out !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Where  have 
they  gone  ?  " 

ft  That's  what  bothers  me.  I  kept  my  eye  on 
them  for  a  good  while,  but  they  behaved  so  well 
that  I  soon  forgot  all  about  them  as  we  became  so 
absorbed  in  the  fate  of  the  Sylvania,"  replied  the 
captain,  blankly.  "I  know  I  ought  to  have  kept 
an  eye  on  them  to  the  end,  and  I  am  to  blame. 
But  it  wasn't  quite  human  to  mind  much  about 
those  rascals  when  we  expected  every  minute  to 
see  your  steamer  fall  back  and  be  swamped.  I  had 
both  boats  ready  to  drop  into  the  water." 

" Gone,  have  they?"  I  repeated.  "Haven't  you 
any  idea  where  they  went?  Your  steamer  was 
not  near  the  levee,  and  they  would  not  have  gone 
ashore  there,  if  it  had  been." 

"I  can  only  guess  where  they  went.  Not  long 
before  you  got  out  of  that  hole,  a  large  passenger 
steamer  came  alongside,  and  held  on  at  our  bow- 
sprit-bitts  awhile.  She  kept  her  wheels  working  all 
the  time,  while  I  was  telling  the  captain  what  had 
happened.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  Cornwood 


320  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

and  Boomsby  stepped  on  board  of  her  before  she 
left.  I  found  just  now  that  their  baggage  was 
gone ;  and  they  could  easily  have  got  it  out  of  the 
fore-cabin  while  I  was  talking  to  the  captain.  I 
am  sorry  for  it,  and  if  it  hadn't  been  for  that 
break,  and  your  running  into  that  hole,  it  would 
not  have  happened." 

"  How  far  ahead  of  us  is  that  steamer  ? "  I 
asked. 

"She  must  be  all  of  two  hours  ahead,"  replied 
Captain  Blastblow. 

"I  am  sorry  we  have  lost  them,  but  it  can't  be 
helped,"  I  added,  as  I  led  the  way  out  into  the 
pilot-house  where  the  passengers  were  assembled. 
I  told  my  father  of  the  escape  of  the  robbers,  and 
asked  him  if  the  money  was  still  safe,  meaning 
the  four  thousand  dollars. 

"  It  must  be,  for  it  was  in  my  trunk  in  the  Syl- 
vania  all  the  time  you  were  inside  of  the  levee," 
replied  he.  "  But  I  will  make  sure  of  it."  He 
went  down  into  the  after  cabin,  and  returned  with 
the  intelligence  that  it  was  where  he  had  put  it. 
This  was  some  relief;  and  we  dropped  the  matter 
because  we  could  not  do  anything  about  the 
escape  of  the  rascals.  I  felt  rather  cheap  about 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  321 

the  matter,  because  I  had  not  delivered  them  to 
the  police  at  New  Orleans. 

While  I  was  asleep,  my  father  and  Mr.  Tiffany 
had  directed  Cobbington  to  remove  their  portman- 
teaus, as  they  called  their  trunks,  from  the  grand 
state-rooms.  They  reported  to  me,  and  I  assigned 
one  of  them  to  the  planter  and  his  wife,  and  the 
other  to  Miss  Blanche.  They  were  delighted  with 
the  apartments.  Owen  insisted  upon  giving  up 
his  room  to  Mr.  Tiffany ;  and  there  were  berths 
enough  for  my  father  and  my  cousin.  Our  cabin 
was  about  full  again. 

I  saw  that  my  father  was  very  much  pleased 
with  the  planter  and  his  family ;  and  I  think  one 
might  have  gone  all  over  the  country  to  find  peo- 
ple more  agreeable. 

Supper  was  ready  by  the  time  the  passengers 
had  taken  possession  of  their  rooms  and  berths. 
I  took  the  captain's  place  in  the  cabin  for  this 
occasion,  though  I  often  did  so  while  we  were  in 
the  river  and  the  Sylvania  was  in  charge  of  the 
pilot.  Colonel  Hungerford  sat  next  to  me  on  one 
side,  and  I  told  him  all  about  the  robbery  of 
the  bank  messenger,  and  the  escape  of  our  pris- 
oners. 


322  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

He  thought  it  very  probable  that  they  had  taken 
the  steamer  bound  up  the  river. 

"  Donaldsonville  is-  the  next  town  of  any  impor- 
tance ;  and  there  we  can  telegraph  to  some  place 
ahead  of  the  steamer,  and  have  the  robbers  de- 
tained by  the  police.  Does  any  one  remember  the 
name  of  the  steamer?"  asked  the  colonel. 

Miss  Margie  Tiffany  remembered  that  it  was 
the  Queen  of  the  South.  Owen  was  so  reck- 
less as  to  say  he  was  glad  the  prisoners  had  got 
away,  and  he  hoped  they  would  succeed  in  eluding 
the  police.  "We  were  yachting  on  the  Mississippi, 
and  we  could  not  bother  with  arresting  and  hold- 
ing prisoners.  We  had  the  money  they  had  stolen, 
and  that  was  enough. 

"We  may  find  the  Queen  of  the  South  at 
Donaldsonville  when  we  get  there,"  continued  Col- 
onel Hungerford.  "  It  is  seventy-four  miles  from 
St.  Charles,  which  is  the  nearest  post-office  to  my 
plantation.  When  shall  we  get  there?  " 

"Not  until  early  in  the  morning,"  I  replied. 
"  We  can't  get  along  very  fast  against  this  cur- 
rent." 

"The  Queen  may  be  there,  as  she  will  arrive 
in  the  night,  waiting  for  freight  or  passengers," 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  323 

replied  the  planter.  "  If  you  will  allow  me,  I  will 
take  charge  of  the  apprehension  of  those  men, 
for  I  think  I  shall  understand  it  better  than  you, 
as  I  have  had  considerable  experience  in  such 
cases." 

Colonel  Hungerford  looked  slyly  at  his  wife  and 
daughter.  I  could  not  understand  the  meaning 
of  his  expressive  communication ;  but  I  was  en- 
tirely willing  he  should  cause  the  arrest  of  the 
fugitives. 


324  UP  THE  EIVER;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A    DISTINGUISHED    PASSENGER. 

rriHE  planter  went  on  deck  with  me  after  sup- 
-•-  per,  and  we  paid  our  first  visit  to  the  Islander, 
where  we  were  courteously  received  by  the  Shep- 
ards.  On  our  return  we  went  on  the  hurricane 
deck  to  take  a  look  at  the  shores,  as  well  as  we 
could  see  them,  for  it  was  almost  dark,  by  this 
time. 

"  Who  is  your  father,  Captain  Garningham,  or, 
if  you  will  forgive  me  for  it,  Captain  Alick?" 
asked  the  Colonel. 

"Major  Garningham,  formerly  of  the  British 
army,"  I  replied. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  know  all  that ;  but  what  is  he  ?  " 
persisted  my  new  passenger. 

"  I  don't  know  that  he  is  anything  in  particular 
just  now,"  I  answered,  perplexed  by  the  earnest- 
ness of  Colonel  Hungerford.  "He  is  certainly 
neither  a  soldier  nor  a  sailor,  a  tinker  nor  a  tailor." 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  325 

"Is  he  an  American?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  he  was  born  in  England.  His  father 
was  Sir  Alexander  Garningham,  and  he  is  Sir  Bent 
Garningham,  Baronet,  whose  estates  and  last  resi- 
dence were  at  Shalford,  Essex." 

"I  see,"  said  the  passenger.  "Then  he  is  a 
baronet." 

"  He  is ;  but  he  insists  upon  dropping  his  title 
in  this  country." 

"  In  my  intercourse  with  him  I  shall  take  pleas- 
ure in  dropping  it,"  added  the  planter.  "But, 
Captain  Alick,  —  excuse  me  if  I  am  too  fa- 
miliar." 

"  I  am  seldom  called  by  any  other  name,  and  I 
have  not  the  slightest  objection  to  the  name,"  I 
interposed. 

"As  I  was  going  to  say,  Captain  Alick,  I  am 
not  a  little  embarrassed  by  the  situation.  You  and 
your  associates  have  rendered  me  an  important  sei 
vice,  and  it  would  afford  me  very  great  satisfaction 
to  acknowledge  it.  You  are  the  captain  of  the 
steamer,  and  your  father  is  a  very  wealthy  man." 

"  He  is,  sir,"  I  replied ;  for  I  wished  to  leave  no 
doubt  in  his  mind  on  this  subject. 

"  Your  mate  was  very  efficient.     What  is  he  ?  " 


326  'UP  THE  RIVER;   OK, 

"  He  is  the  son  of  a  distinguished  ex-governor 
of  one  of  the  States,  and  the  nephew  of —  " 

"  Precisely  so ;  I  know  his  uncle  very  well.  I 
can  do  nothing  for  him.  And  your  two  deck- 
hands ?  "  continued  the  planter. 

"They  are  the  sons  of  English  gentlemen,  over 
here  on  a  vacation,  and  their  fathers  have  each  an 
income  of  over  ten  thousand  pounds  a-year,"  I 
added,  quietly. 

re  Your  engineer,  whose  skill  and  pluck  carried 
us  through  the  crevasse,  is,  I  dare  say,  one  of  the 
sons  of  her  Majesty,  the  Queen  of  England," 
added  the  passenger,  laughing. 

"  On  the  contrary,  he  is  a  son  of  a  Michigan 
farmer,  now  well  to  do  in  the  world,"  I  replied. 

"  Of  course,  he  is  a  millionaire  !  " 

"  O,  no,  sir,  only  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
He  has  known  what  poverty  is,  but  he  has  enough 
to  live  on  now." 

"  By  the  way,  Captain  Alick,  do  you  happen  to 
have  anybody  on  board  who  is  not '  well  to  do,'  as 
you  call  it  ?  "  asked  the  planter. 

"  Ben  Bowman,  the  assistant,  who  was  in  the 
boat  that  brought  off  your  family  to  the  steamer, 
has  been  a  lake  sailor,  cook  and  fireman  all  his 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  327 

life ;  and  I  don't  know  that  he  has  five  hundred 
dollars  in  the  world.  He  sends  most  of  his  wages 
to  his  mother,  and  is  one  of  the  truest  and  bravest 
men  I  ever  saw." 

I  also  told  him  the  story  of  Cobbington  and  the 
two  firemen.  I  judged  that  he  felt  very  grateful 
for  the  service  the  Sylvania  had  rendered  to  him 
and  "  his  people,"  and  that  he  was  thinking  up 
some  way  to  reward  her  officers  and  crew  for  what 
they  had  done. 

"  The  pilot  is  a  Louisiana  man,  and  says  he  was 
raised  near  St.  Charles,"  I  added. 

"  His  name  is  Billy  Bell,  and  I  know  him  very 
well,"  replied  Colonel  Hungerford.  "  You  have  a 
very  distinguished  and  wealthy  ship's  company, 
Captain  Alick.  I  wished  to  distribute  a  thousand 
dollars,  more  or  less,  among  them ;  but  I  see  that 
such  a  proposition  would  be  taken  as  an  insult  by 
some  of  them." 

"  It  would  be  taken  as  it  was  intended,  not  as 
an  insult ;  but  it  would  be  respectfully  declined 
by  the  captain,  the  mate,  the  two  deck-hands,  and 
perhaps  by  all  the  others ;  for  I  am  sure  that  no 
one  on  board  would  be  willing  to  be  paid  for  an 
act  of  common  humanity,"  I  replied. 


328  UP  THE  BIVER;  OR, 

"A  strange  .ship  and  a  strange  crew,"  added 
Colonel  Htmgerford.  "  Perhaps  we  shall  find  some 
way  to  get  out  of  it." 

«/  CD 

I  had  just  resolved  not  to  assist  him  in  his  task, 
for  it  was  a  little  humiliating  to  have  my  crew 
paid  for  what  they  had  done,  when  Miss  Blanche 
and  Miss  Margie  came  on  the  hurricane  deck. 
They  were  already  fast  friends.  The  English  girl 
began  to  pour  out  a  volley  of  questions  about  the 
river  and  the  steamers  we  saw,  and  I  answered 
them  as  well  as  I  could  ;  but  Colonel  Hungerford 
was  better  acquainted  with  the  scene,  and  he  took 
the  task  upon  himself  of  informing  her,  leaving 
Miss  Blanche  to  ply  me  with  other  interrogatories. 

I  told  her  all  about  the  steamer,  her  going  south, 
our  adventures  in  Florida,  and  our  yachting  on 
the  Mississippi,  which  had  thus  far  been  a  series 
of  adventures.  Then  she  wanted  to  know  who 
and  what  my  father  was,  and  I  told  her  all  I  had 
just  related  to  her  father. 

"Then  you  will  one  day  be  Sir  Alexander  Gar- 
ningham,  and  as  a  genuine  republican,  I  shall  be 
under  the  necessity  of  hating  you,  Captain  Alick," 
said  she,  mirthfully. 

w  Then  I  promise  never  to  allow  myself  to  be 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  329 

called  by  that  title,"  I  replied.  "  I  have  said  as 
much  to  my  father ;  and  he  does  not  like  to  be 
called  by  anything  but  his  military  title,  for  he 
says  he  has  earned  that  fighting  against  the  enemies 
of  his  queen.  But  I  am  a  democrat,  and  don't 
believe  in  any  titles.  Are  you  really  a  Republican, 
Miss  Hungerford  ?  " 

"I  am  a  republican,  but  I  am  also  a  Democrat." 

"  I  see  !  and  I  am  a  democrat  and  also  a  Repub- 
lican." 

"  I  don't  think  it  will  be  safe  for  us  to  talk  pol- 
itics. You  may  do  that  with  father." 

"  1  have  told  you  my  story,  Miss  Hungerford  ; 
and  now  it  is  no  more  than  fair  that  you  should 
tell  me  yours,"  I  added. 

"  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  give  you  my  whole 
history  from  my  birth  to  the  present  day,"  replied 
the  fair  maiden,  laughing.  "  I  was  born  at  St. 
Charles,  and  lived  there  and  in  New  Orleans  until 
about  a  year  ago,  since  which  time  we  have  resided 
most  of  the  time  in  Baton  Rouge." 

"  Then  your  home  is  not  at  St.  Charles  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes  !  Our  home  is  there,  but  we  have  one 
at  the  capital  of  the  state  also,"  said  the  mischiev- 
ous girl. 


330  UP  THE  KIVER;  OR, 

"  I  thought  you  were  going  to  your  uncle's  in 
Baton  Rouge  to  stay  until  the  mansion  was  re- 
paired." 

"  I  haven't  any  uncle  in  Baton  Rouge,  or  any- 
where else,"  chuckled  Miss  Blanche. 

"Your  father  certainly  said  he  should  stay  at  his 
brother's  in  Baton  Rouge,"!  added,  puzzled  by  the 
statement. 

"  That  was  just  as  we  girls  used  to  say  we  were 
'  going  to  grandmother's '  when  we  went  to  the 
seminary." 

"  Who  is  your  father,  Miss  Hungerford  ? "  I 
asked,  repeating  the  question  the  planter  had  put 
to  me. 

"  Colonel  Hungerford,"  she  answered,  naively. 

"Yes,  I  know  ;  but  what  is  he?  " 

"The  Governor  of  Louisiana,"  replied  Miss 
Blanche,  with  a  merry  laugh. 

"  The  governor !  "  I  exclaimed,  appalled  to 
think  I  had  been  talking  so  familiarly  to  the  chief 
magistrate  of  the  state. 

"  But  he  won't  let  any  one  call  him  governor 
when  he  is  not  attending  to  his  official  duties,  if  he 
can  help  it.  He  likes  to  be  a  plain  citizen  when 
he  is  off  duty,"  continued  the  young  lady.  "  We 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  331 

went  down  to  stay  a  few  days  at  the  planta- 
tion." 

Miss  Margie's  father  called  her,  and  thought  it 
was  too  damp  for  her  to  be  out  after  dark.  We 
all  went  below,  and  the  colonel  said  he  must  smoke 
his  cigar.  I  conducted  him  to  the  pilot-house, 
where  Owen  and  Miss  Edith  were  spending  the 
evening.  My  father  was  there  also ;  and  I  took 
the  occasion  to  introduce  our  distinguished  guest 
to  him  again,  with  his  title  in  full. 

"  So  you  have  found  me  out,  Captain  Alick," 
said  his  excellency,  with  a  pleasant  laugh,  whicty 
did  much  to  restore  the  equilibrium  between  us. 
"That  puss  of  mine  has  been  telling  family  secrets, 
and  you  must  promise  not  to  tell  anybody  what 
you  have  discovered." 

"  No  one  not  on  board,"  I  replied. 

"  Everybody  else  will  know  the  secret,  so  that  I 
shall  gain  nothing.  But  we  will  not  quarrel  about 
trifles." 

Everybody  on  ,board  was  tired  enough  to  retire 
early,  and  before  ten  o'clock  we  had  the  deck  and 
pilot-house  to  ourselves.  The  watches  continued 
the  same  as  before.  Washburn  gave  up  his  berth 
in  our  room  to  Billy  Bell,  as  we  learned  to  call 


332  UP   THE    RIVER  ;     OR, 

him,  for  the  captain  and  mate  never  had  their 
watch  below  at  the  same  time,  and  we  could  both 
occupy  the  same  bed  at  different  times.  The  river 
is  a  mile  wide,  and  at  the  present  high  stage  of  the 
water,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  steering,  under 
the  instructions  of  the  pilot. 

We  had  a  sort  of  panorama,  or  diagram  of  the 
river,  which  I  had  obtained  in  New  Orleans,  ar- 
ranged on  the  space  between  the  windows  of  the 
pilot-house,  so  that  we  could  tell  where  we  were  at 
all  times.  Ben  Bowman  had  put  the  chart  on 
.rollers,  and  it  could  be  wound  up  from  one  end  to 
the  other.  The  only  things  that  were  likely  to 
bother  us  were  the  bayous  and  cut-offs ;  and  the 
pilot  was  at  hand  at  any  moment  he  might  be 
needed. 

We  passed  no  place  of  importance  during  the 
night ;  and  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  were 
at  Donaldsonville.  We  made  fast  to  the  levee, 
and  as  we  were  in  no  hurry,  I  did  not  call  any  of 
the  passengers.  I  told  Gopher  and  Cobbington 
who  the  planter  we  had  rescued  was,  that  they 
might  have  things  in  proper  condition  at  the 
breakfast-table.  I  inquired  what  boats  had  stopped 
at  the  place,  and  learned  that  the  Queen  of  the 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  333 

South  had  left  two  hours  before.  This  showed 
that  her  speed  did  not  exceed  that  of  our  little  fleet. 

I  asked  if  any  passengers  had  landed,  and  was 
informed  that  several  had  done  so.  I  thought  I 
would  visit  the  hotels,  and  see  if  Corn  wood  and 
Nick  were  at  any  one  of  them.  I  was  about  to 
leave  the  steamer  when  the  governor  came  out  of 
the  cabin .  He  insisted  that  I  should  not  leave  the 
vessel,  as  the  rascals  might  see  me.  They  could 
not  escape  from  the  place  except  by  boat.  He 
went  ashore  himself,  after  I  had  given  him  a  full 
description  of  the  fugitives. 

He  returned  in  a  short  time,  and  said  a  report 
would  come  down  in  the  course  of  an  hour  or  two. 
Our  party  had  a  merry  time  at  breakfast,  and  the 
meal  was  as  elaborate  as  the  resources  of  the  ^ew 
Orleans  market  and  the  skill  of  Gopher  could  make 
it.  Colonel  Hungerford,  as  he  insisted  that  we 
should  call  him,  was  in  the  highest  spirits.  Before 
the  meal  was  over,  a  gentleman  came  on  board 
and  desired  to  see  the  governor.  He  was  the 
marshal  of  the  city.  No  such  passengers  as  had 
been  described  to  him  had  landed.  He  had  tele- 
graphed to  Baton  Rouge  for  the  police  to  search 
the  steamer  on  her  arrival. 


334  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

Nothing  more  could  be  done,  and  we  started  up 
the  river  again.  We  arrived  at  the  capital  of  the 
state  at  four  in  the  afternoon.  We  spent  the  day 
in  viewing  the  wonders  of  the  mighty  river,  the 
waters  of  which  were  almost  up  to  the  top  of  the 
levees.  The  governor  said  that  the  country  was 
inundated  for  thirty  miles,  though  we  could  see 
but  little  water  except  what  was  between  the 
fringe  of  the  trees  on  the  banks  of  the  stream. 

It  takes  the  waters  about  a  month  to  travel 
from  the  melting  snows  on  the  north  and  north- 
west to  the  Gulf.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  the 
flood  rises  about  twenty-five  feet ;  below  the  Ohio 
the  rise  is  sometimes  more  than  fifty  feet,  while  at 
New  Orleans  it  seldom  exceeds  twelve  feet.  The 
greater  height,  caused  by  the  addition  of  the 
waters  of  the  Ohio  to  the  flood,  is  reduced  in 
Louisiana  by  the  passage  of  much  of  the  flow 
through  the  Atchafalaya,  La  Fourche,  and  other 
bayous,  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  capital,  we  found  that 
the  Queen  had  not  been  searched,  for  telegraphic 
communication  with  points  below  had  been  cut  off 
by  the  flood. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  335 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

UP  THE   RIVER   FOR  MANY   DAYS. 

/COLONEL  HUNGERFORD  was  even  more 
V^  vexed  at  the  failure  of  the  plan  to  arrest  the 
fugitives  than  I  was.  But  Baton  Rouge  was  on 
the  last  of  the  bluffs  that  one  sees  in  descending 
the  great  river,  and  above  the  region  of  continuous 
levees.  There  was  no  doubt  we  could  operate 
from  this  region,  and  secure  the  capture  of  the 
fugitives. 

"How  long  since  the  Queen  left?"  asked  the 
governor,  of  the  man  who  had  given  us  the  infor- 
mation. - 

"  She  must  have  been  gone  nearly  three  hours," 
he  replied. 

"The  fugitives  are  not  likely  to  leave  the 
steamer  before  she  gets  to  Vicksburg,  for  there  is 
no  railroad  from  any  point  this  side  of  that  city. 
It  is  thirty-five  miles  from  here  to  Bayou  Sara. 
The  steamer  may  stop  there,  and  may  not,"  said 


336  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

the  governor,  musing.  "  That  is  the  last  place  in 
this  State  at  which  she  is  at  all  likely  to  make  a 
landing.  I  will  telegraph  at  once." 

Without  waiting  to  see  any  of  our  passengers 
ashore,  I  went  with  the  governor  to  the  telegraph 
office.  He  sent  the  dispatch  to  an  official,  direct- 
ing him  to  board  the  steamer,  if  she  did  not  stop, 
and  arrest  the  fugitives,  a  sufficient  description  of 
whom  I  gave  him.  When  this  was  done,  Colonel 
Hungerford  had  time  to  attend  to  the  landing  of 
the  party.  He  insisted  that  all  the  passengers 
should  go  to  his  residence  and  stay  over  Sunday 
with  him.  Colonel  Shepard  declined,  and  de- 
clared that  he  and  his  family  had  no  claims  upon 
his  hospitality.  A  good-natured  controversy  en- 
sued, and  ended  in  the  Colonel  and  all  the  others 
yielding  the  point. 

Three  carriages  started  for  the  residence  of  the 
chief  magistrate,  and  another  was  awaiting  his 
orders  at  the  levee.  By  this  time  a  reply  came 
from  the  official  in  Bayou  Sara,  in  which  he  prom- 
ised to  follow  the  instructions  of  the  governor  as 
soon  as  the  steamer  carne  in  sight,  for  she  had  not 
yet  appeared. 

"Now,  Captain  Alick,  if  you  will  get  into  the 


YACHTING   ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  337 

o 

carriage,  I  will  take  you  up  to  the  house,"  said 
Colonel  Hungerford. 

"You  must  excuse  me,  sir,  for  I  have  to  attend 
to  the  affairs  of  the  vessel,"  I  answered. 

"Must  I  argue  this  same  question  with  you, 
too?"  demanded  the  governor. 

"I  hope  you  will  not,  for  I  think  it  will  do  no 
good,"  I  added,  laughing.  "  Your  excellency  for- 
gets that  I  am  the  captain  of  the  Sylvania,  and  a 
true  sailor  never  gives  up  his  ship." 

"Your  ship  is  all  well  enough.  You  must  go  to 
my  house,  and  bring  Mr.  Washburn  with  you." 

"Impossible,  sir!  Our  steamer  is  not  a  river 
boat,  and  she  is  not  a  flat-bottomed  craft,"  I  tried 
to  explain.  "Her  keel  does  not  take  kindly  to 
the  levee.  I  must  stay  here  and  look  out  for  her ; 
but  I  will  call  at  your  house  this  evening." 

But  it  was  no  use  to  argue  the  point ;  the  gov- 
ernor persisted,  and  I  finally  compromised  with 
him  by  agreeing  that  either  Washburn  or  myself 
should  be  at  his  house  all  the  time  we  remained  in 
the  place  ;  in  other  words,  we  were  to  have  "-watch 
and  watch"  in  visiting  him.  I  took  my  first 
turn. 

Nothing  could  be  more  delightful  than  the  home 


338  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

r. 

of  the  governor,  and  I  think  I  never  saw  so  many 
beautiful  residences  in  a  city  of  the  size  of  the 
capital.  I  had  put  on  my  best  uniform,  and  pre- 
pared to  make  a  creditable  appearance  in  the 
place.  Our  party  were  presented  to  all  the  prin- 
cipal people  of  the  city,  who  called  to  see  the 
governor  and  congratulate  him  on  the  escape  of 
himself  and  his  family  from  the  inundation,  news 
of  which  had  come  by  the  steamer.  I  tried  to  keep 
in  a  corner,  and  talk  with  Miss  Margie  and  Miss 
Blanche  ;  but  I  was  dragged  out  twenty  times  to 
be  exhibited  as  the  captain  who  ran  his  vessel 
through  the  crevasse,  and  over  the  cane-fields  of 
the  plantations. 

We  had  a  very  large  party  at  tea,  and  in  spite 
of  the  embarrassments  of  my  position,  I  enjoyed 
the  occasion  very  much.  Before  we  left  the  table 
the  governor  received  a  dispatch  informing  him 
that  the  two  fugitives  had  been  captured  on  board 
of  the  Queen  of  the  South,  and  committed  to  the 
calaboose,  or  lockup.  Again  I  felt  really  sorry 
for  poor  Nick  Boomsby,  and  almost  wished  that 
he  had  escaped,  though  I  could  not  justify  myself 
in  permitting  him  to  do  so. 

On  Sunday  we  all  went  to  church,  leaving  the 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  339 

Sylvania  in  charge  of  a  crew  from  the  Islander, 
and  the  whole  ship's  company,  including  the  pilot, 
dined  with  the  governor.  The  next  morning  I 
was  astonished  to  hear  that  Cornwood  and  Nick 
had  arrived,  having  been  brought  down  in  charge 
of  an  officer  in  the  night,  and  were  in  prison. 
Late  on  Saturday  night  I  had  sent  by  telegraph  to 
Florida,  a  condensed  account  of  the  arrest  of  the 
robber  and  his  accomplice  after  the  fact,  and  the 
information  that  the  money  had  been  recovered. 
A  reply  soon  came  that  proper  officers,  with  a 
requisition  for  the  culprits,  would  be  sent  at  once 
for  them. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  prisoners  were  brought 
before  the  court,  and  the  evidence  against  them 
was  heard.  Cornwood  was  his  own  counsel,  as 
well  as  Nick's.  The  testimony  was  considered 
strong  enough  to  hold  the  fugitives  for  the 
requisition.  They  were  sent  to  the  lockup 
again,  and  our  party  resumed  their  merrymak- 
ing. 

We  rode  all  about  the  country ;  we  went  to 
dinner  parties ;  and  we  reciprocated  the  hos- 
pitalities extended  to  us  by  taking  the  governor 
and  his  friends  on  several  excursions  in  the  two 


340  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

steamers.  Mrs.  Shepard  improved  wonderfully 
as  soon  as  she  realized  that  the  earth  beneath  her 
was  solid,  and  there  was  no  danger  of  the  unruly 
waters  drowning  her  while  she  slept.  It  was  an 
exceedingly  jolly  time  we  had  from  morning  till 
night,  and  sometimes  half  the  latter. 

After  we  had  been  at  the  capital  of  the  state 
three  days,  I  thought  it  was  about  time  to  move 
up  the  river  again ;  but  the  Florida  officials  had 
not  yet  appeared.  It  was  not  till  the  following 
Saturday  that  they  arrived.  They  had  been  de- 
tained in  procuring  the  requisition  by  the  absence 
of  the  governor,  and  in  collecting  what  evidence 
they  could  obtain.  With  the  officers  came  Pev- 
erell,  the  bank  messenger,  from  whom  the  money 
had  been  stolen. 

Another  hearing  before  the  court  was  necessary. 
The  package  containing  the  four  thousand  dollars 
was  produced,  and  identified  by  Peverell.  He 
testified  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  package 
had  disappeared  from  the  counter  of  the  saloon. 
He  brought  the  affidavits  of  two  men  who  had 
seen  Nick4  go  off  to  the  Islander  just  before  she 
sailed,  with  a  bundle  in  his  hand. 

Captain  Blastblow  and  I  testified  that  the  money 


YACHTING   ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  341 

had  been  found,  in  equal  parts,  on  the  prisoners. 
The  plan  of  Cornwood  to  get  possession  of  the 
whole  or  half  of  the  money  was  shown  from  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  conducted  himself,  in 
causing  the  departure  of  the  Islander  from  Key 
West  before  the  arrival  of  the  Sylvania,  though 
the  latter  was  in  sight  when  the  former  left. 

Cornwood  attempted  to  disprove  the  charges  by 
repeating  the  silly  story  he  had  told  me.  He 
cross-questioned  the  witnesses,  and  did  his  best 
to  browbeat  Peverell.  The  messenger  showed 
that  it  was  impossible  that  any  money  could  have 
been  obtained  from  the  bank  while  Cormvood  was 
in  Jacksonville  between  the  time  the  Floridian 
arrived  and  departed.  But  the  court  was  satis- 
fied with  the  evidence,  and  the  governor  complied 
with  the  requisition. 

Before  I  left  the  court-room,  I  went  to  Nick  to 
say  how  sorry  I  was  for  him  —  sorry  that  he  had 
done  anything  to  reduce  himself  to  such  a  situa~ 
tion. 

"I  don't  know  what  made  me  do  it,"  blubbered 
Nick,  to  the  great  disgust  of  his  fellow-criminal. 
"  I  didn't  think  of  doing  it  until  the  minute  I  did 
it.  I  had  been  thinking,  as  I  told  you  at  the 


342  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

time,  of  clearing  out ;  and  the  sight  of  the  pack- 
age of  money  seemed  to  show  me  how  it  could  be 
done." 

"What  are  you  talking  about,  you  ninny?" 
growled  Cornwood.  "You  are  convicting  your- 
self." 

"I  don't  care  anything  about  that.  ,  I  won't  lie 
any  more  about  it,  for  it  ain't  no  use,"  replied 
Nick,  sourly.  "If  it  hadn't  been  for  you,  I 
should  have  got  off  all  right,  Cornwood." 

I  concluded  that  his  penitence  was  not  very 
deep.  He  told  me  then  how  Cornwood  had  come 
on  board  of  the  Islander  and  accused  him  of  tak- 
ing the  package,  and  he  had  been  compelled  to 
give  him  half  of  it  to  prevent  him  from  exposing 
him.  But  all  he  said  was  no  more  than  we  had 
reasoned  out  before,  and  the  confession  seemed 
to  be  hardly  original. 

"You  can  do  something  for  me,  Captain  Alick," 
he  continued.  "If  you  will  get  me  out  of  this 
scrape  I  will  never  do  anything  wrong  again  as 
long  as  I  live  !  " 

"I  can  do  nothing  for  you,"  I  replied,  as  gently 
as  I  could. 

"They  say  you  are  thick  with  the  governor, 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  343 

Alick.  If  you  say  the  word,  he  will  let  me  off," 
pleaded  the  culprit. 

"He  can  do  nothing  for  you  any  more  than  I 
can.  You  are  in  the  hands  of  the  law  now,  and 
nothing  but  the  law  can  settle  your  case,  Nick. 
Good-by." 

I  had  hardly  uttered  the  last  words  before  I 
felt  a  heavy  hand  laid  upon  my  throat,  which  was 
followed  by  a  choking  sensation. 

"What  are  you  about,  Sandy  Duddleton?"  de- 
manded my  ancient  enemy.  "What  have  you 
been  sayin'  ag'in  my  boy  ?  He's  a  hund'ed  times 
as  honest  as  ever  you  was  !  " 

I  thought  I  should  be  choked  to  death ;  and 
the  instinct  of  self-preservation  took  possession 
of  me.  I  sprang  at  the  throat  of  my  old  tyrant. 
He  went  down  upon  the  floor,  and  I  on  the 
top  of  him,  before  my  father  or  any  other  per- 
son could  come  to  my  aid.  As  he  went  down 
he  released  his  grasp  on  my  throat  in  his  effort  to 
save  himself. 

"Arrest  that  person!"  cried  the  justice,  in  the 
sternest  of  tones. 

In  another  instant  two  officers  had  Captain 
Boomsby  in  their  clutches.  A  complaint  was 


344  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

made  against  him  for  a  breach  of  the  peace.  The 
justice  made  short  work  of  him ;  he  was  sentenced 
to  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars,  and  to  stand 
committed  until  paid.  It  was  more  money  than 
he  had,  and  he  was  sent  to  jail.  As  usual,  he 
was  more  than  "half  seas  over,"  as  he  used  to  call 
intoxication  when  I  sailed  with  him  in  the  Great 
West.  It  appeared  that  he  had  followed  the 
officers,  but  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  "his 
boy." 

In  the  afternoon  the  Florida  party  took  a  boat 
down  to  New  Orleans,  intending  to  return  home 
by  the  steamer  to  Cedar  Keys.  I  afterwards 
learned  that  both  Nick  and  Cornwood  were  con- 
victed, and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  three 
years.  Though  Cornwood  was  only  an  accom- 
plice after  the  fact,  he  was  the  greater  villain  of 
the  two.  I  never  saw  either  of  them  again. 

We  spent  another  Sunday  in  Baton  Rouge,  and 
delightful  as  our  sojourn  had  been,  even  Mrs. 
Shepard  thought  it  was  about  time  to  depart. 
But  I  could  not  leave  with  my  ancient  enemy 
unforgiven.  I  went  to  the  clerk  of  the  court  and 
paid  Captain  Boomsby^s  fine.  He  was  released 
from  confinement,  and  took  the  next  boat  down 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  345 

the  river.  He  had  the  grace  to  take  my  hand, 
and  say  good-by  before  he  went;  and  that  was 
the  last  time  I  ever  saw  him. 

We  had  a  large  crowd  on  the  levee  when  we 
left,  and  we  kept  our  whistles  going  till  a  bend  in 
the  river  took  us  out  of  sight  of  the  hospitable  city 
where  we  had  enjoyed  so  much.  The  water  had 
fallen  a  little,  but  not  much.  The  melting  snows 
of  the  northern  hills  had  not  yet  sent  down  their 
full  tribute  to  the  Gulf. 

We  stopped  at  Natchez  and  at  Vicksburg,  and 
were  very  handsomely  treated  by  the  people. 
But  the  broad  river  was  the  greatest  study  to 
us,  for  we  had  visited  no  end  of  towns  and  cities 
on  our  long  voyage.  We  were  interested  in  the 
numerous  islands,  hundreds  of  them.  When  we 
looked  at  some  of  them  from  below,  the  fresh 
foliage  seemed  to  form  a  regular  flight  of  steps. 
The  pilot  explained  this  appearance.  The  rapid 
current  was  continually  wearing  away  the  up- 
stream end  of  the  island,  and  depositing  its  soil 
on  the  other  end,  in  which  every  year  new  trees 
sprang  up ;  and  each  step  denoted  a  period  in  the 
growth  of  the  wood. 

It  was  the  first  day  of  May  when  we  reached 


346  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

Cairo,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  where  the  waters 
of  the  two  rivers  seemed  to  be  spread  out  like  an 
inland  sea  or  lake.  We  found  an  excellent  hotel 
there ;  but  Washburn  and  I  spent  wThat  time  we 
had  to  spare  with  our  friend  West,  who  had  been 
for  a  time  a  student  in  Somerset  College. 

A  couple  of  days  more  brought  us  to  St.  Louis, 
where  we  found  enough  to  interest  us  for  a  week. 
When  we  were  about  ready  to  continue  our  voy- 
age, Colonel  Shepard  came  into  the  pilot-house, 
where  I  was  seated  with  Washburn,  and  wanted 
to  know  how  much  farther  up  the  river  I  intended 
to  go.  He  had  heard  me  speak  of  sailing  the  next 
morning,  and  he  thought  it  was  about  time  for 
him  to  leave  for  New  York,  by  train,  with  his 
family. 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  347 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

UP   ANOTHER   RIVER   AND   HOME   AGAIN. 

OLONEL  SHEPARD  looked  somewhat  per- 
plexed,  for  while  we  were  going  "Up  the 
River,"  not  a  word  had  been  said  about  going 
"Down  the  River."  Doubtless . all  our  passengers 
thought  the  steamers  would  have  to  return  by  the 
way  they  came,  and  had  taken  it  for  granted  that 
this  must  be  the  case.  I  had  a  different  view  of 
the  matter. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  go  up  to  Lake  Itasca  ?  "  asked 
Colonel  Shepard,  as  he  lighted  his  cigar,  indicating 
that  he  meant  to  have  the  talk  out,  and  the  future 
course  of  the  steam  yachts  decided  upon. 

"  It  would  be  rather  difficult  to  get  over  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony,"  I  replied.  "  Billy  Bell  don't 
know  the  way  up  there." 

"  Of  course  you  mean  to  sail  around  to  New 
York,  and  from  thence  to  Lake  St.  Clair  by  the 
way  you  came?"  suggested  the  colonel. 


348  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  don't  mean  anything 
of  the  kind,"  I  answered  with  a  smile.  "  I  am 
afraid  it  would  be  rather  tedious  for  our  passen- 
gers to  go  over  the  same  route  again  so  soon." 

"  I  supposed  they  would  cut  across  the  country 
by  railroad  and  steamboat.  I  had  intended  to  go 
from  St.  Louis  to  Pittsburg  by  boat." 

w  I  hope  you  won't  give  up  the  voyage  so  soon," 
I  protested.  "  I  am  only  afraid  the  ladies  will  be 
sea-sick  again." 

"  Give  up  ! "  exclaimed  the  colonel.  "  Of  course 
there  is  an  end  to  navigation  in  this  direction.  We 
can  run  up  the  Missouri  for  a  week  or  two,  up  to 
St.  Paul's,  or  up  to  Pittsburg ;  but  I  do  not  see 
the  point  of  following  either  of  these  routes,  un- 
less it  be  the  latter,  which  will  bring  us  so  much 
nearer  to  New  York." 

"  I  don't  think  the  Sylvania  has  any  particular 
business  in  New  York,  and  I  had  not  thought  of 
taking  her  there  again,"  I  added.  "I  can't  say 
that  I  should  care  to  descend  the  Mississippi, 
cross  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  follow  the  coast 
by  the  way  we  came.  I  am  in  favor  of  variety 
in  our  yacht  trips." 

"  So  am  I ;  and  for  that  reason,  I  am  in  favor 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  349 

of  going  to  New  York  by  steamer  and  railroad 
from  here.  I  have  three  weeks  more  to  spare, 
and  if  you  wish  to  go  up  to  St.  Paul's  or  Pitts- 
burg,  I  am  entirely  willing  to  go  with  you,  Cap- 
tain Alick." 

"  As  your  plans  seem  to  be  different  from  mine, 
we  ought  to  have  considered  this  subject  at  Cairo, 
for  you  have  come  over  two  hundred  miles  out  of 
your  way,  if  you  intend  to  go  to  Pittsburg." 

"  It  makes  little  difference  to  me,  or  to  my  fam- 
ily, where  we  go,  for  we  have  enjoyed  this  trip  so 
much  that  none  of  us  were  in  a  hurry  to  bring  it 
to  an  end.  Mrs.  Shepard  has  entirely  recovered 
from  her  nervous  debility,  and  I  know  she  will  be 
sorry  when  we  have  to  part  company." 

"  Then  you  had  better  allow  the  Islander  to  con- 
tinue in  the  fleet ;  and  I  promise  that  you  shall  not 
be  any  farther  from  New  York  at  any  time  than 
you  are  now,  or  at  any  point  where  it  will  take 
you  longer  to  get  there.  More  than  this,  the 
Islander  shall  land  you  twelve  miles  nearer  New 
York  than  Pittsburg." 

"  Then  I  will  go  with  you,"  replied  the  colonel. 

"  But  it  will  take  much  longer  to  go  by  my 
way,"  I  added. 


350  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  Will  it  take  more  than  three  weeks  longer, 
Captain  Alick  ?  "  asked  the  owner  of  our  consort. 

"  You  shall  be  in  New  York  in  half  that  time, 
if  you  wish." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  no  use  for  me  to  ask  what  this 
marvellous  route  is  to  be  !  "  queried  the  colonel. 

"  Not  the  least,"  I  replied,  decidedly.  "No  one 
has  said  a  word  as  to  where  we  were  going  for  the 
last  month,  or  since  we  decided  to  go  up  the  river. 
Nobody  seemed  to  care." 

"  We  all  took  it  for  granted  that  the  steamers 
were  to  return  by  the  way  they  came,"  said  Colonel 
Shepard.  "  I  was  talking  with  your  father  about 
the  matter  one  day,  more  than  a  week  ago ;  and 
he  had  the  same  view  of  the  subject  I  had." 

"  We  will  sail  at  nine  o'clock  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, if  you  please." 

"  Certainly  if  that  is  the  pleasure  of  the  com- 
mander of  the  fleet,"  answered  Colonel  Shepard. 

I  had  kept  my  own  counsel  so  far,  and  I  thought 
I  had  better  continue  to  do  so  for  a  while  longer. 
Washburn  and  I  had  settled  the  question,  even  be- 
fore we  left  Detroit,  and  had  procured  all  the 
information  necessary  to  carry  out  our  plan,  for 
the  mate  first  suggested  it.  We  had  taken  in  coal 


YACHTING    ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  351 

sufficient  to  run  the  steamer  about  two  days.  With 
this  supply,  we  drew  a  little  less  than  eight  feet 
of  water,  just  enough  to  sink  the  propeller. 

Before  night  I  engaged  two  pilots,  one  for  each 
steamer,  for  I  was  not  sure  we  could  lash  boats 
much  longer.  At  the  time  appointed  all  our  pas- 
sengers were  on  board,  and  we  backed  out  from 
the  levee.  It  was  so  much  more  social  to  lash 
boats,  that  we  did  so  at  the  request  of  the  ladies. 
Recent  heavy  rains  all  over  the  western  states  had 
again  raised  the  river  several  feet  above  the  level 
it  was  when  we  arrived  at  St.  Louis. 

"  Won't  you  explain  the  great  mystery  to  me, 
Captain  Alick  ?  "  asked  Miss  Margie,  as  I  passed 
her,  seated  on  the  quarter-deck,  reading  a  novel. 

"What  great  mystery  ?  "  I  inquired,  taking  a 
chair  by  her  side. 

"  Why,  the  mystery  of  where  we  are  going," 
she  replied,  with  a  bewitching  laugh.  "All  the 
passengers  are  trying  to  solve  the  riddle ;  and  no 
one  has  done  it  yet." 

"  What  book  are  you  reading,  Miss  Margie  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"Little  Don-it.  What  has  that  to  do  with  it? " 
said  she,  looking  at  me  with  surprise. 


352  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

"  Perhaps  nothing ;  but  before  I  explain  to  you 
the  great  mystery,  as  you  call  it,  let  me  tell  you 
how  the  book  you  are  reading  comes  out.  You 
have  got  acquainted  with  Little  Dorrit,  the  Father 
of  the  Marshalsea,  and  —  " 

"  Now,  stop  !  I  don't  want  you  to  tell  me  how 
it  comes  out ! "  protested  the  fair  maiden,  vehe- 
mently. "  I  wouldn't  have  you  do  it  for  the  world. 
It  would  utterly  spoil  all  the  pleasure  I  might  have 
in  reading  the  book." 

"  Is  that  so  ?  Why  shouldn't  I  explain  this  great 
mystery,  as  well  as  the  other?  I  am  sure  I  should 
deprive  you  of  half  the  excitement  of  the  trip  if  I 
should  tell  you  beforehand  all  about  it." 

"  Then  you  needn't  tell  me  a  word !  "  And  I 
did  not. 

At  lunch-time  we  were  in  the  midst  of  another 
great  inland  sea,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri. 
Some  of  us  wished  we  were  going  up  that  great 
river,  to  explore  it  where  there  were  no  towns,  or 
other  evidences  of  civilization.  As  that  was  not 
our  present  purpose,  we  forgot  all  about  it  as 
soon  as  we  were  out  of  sight  of  its  mouth.  Twenty 
miles  more  brought  the  fleet  to  another  broad 
expanse  of  water,  in  which  were  several  islands. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  353 

"Adieu  to  the  Mississippi !  "  I  shouted,  walking 
from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the  steamer.  But  I 
made  no  further  explanation. 

There  was  a  call  for  maps  and  guide-books 
then,  succeeded  by  an  anxious  study  for  a  few 
moments. 

'  This  is  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River ! " 
exclaimed  Miss  Margie,  rushing  up  to  me. 

"  I  don't  deny  it,"  I  replied.  To  avoid  more 
questions,  I  went  to  the  pilot-house. 

"  We  are  making  about  twelve  miles  an  hour," 
said  the  pilot  of  the  Sylvania. 

"  How  can  that  be  ?  The  most  we  could  make 
in  the  Mississippi  was  seven  miles  against  the 
strong  current." 

"  The  current  is  the  other  way  here,"  added  the 
pilot. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  the  stream  runs  up  ?  " 

"  Precisely  that,"  answered  the  man,  laughing 
at  my  perplexity.  "  When  the  Mississippi  is  very 
high,  it  flows  the  water  back  in  the  Illinois  for 
seventy  miles.  We  get  a  little  current  here  to 
help  us.  After  a  while,  it  will  really  be  still 
water." 

In  this  part  of  the  river,  the  stream  was  full  to 


354  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

the  top  of  its  banks,  and  in  some  places  it  over- 
flowed them.  The  river  had  furrowed  out  a 
deep  channel  in  the  alluvial  soil,  and  at  low  water, 
it  had  tolerably  high  bluffs  on  each  side  of  it.  It 
was  almost  as  wide  as  the  Father  of  Waters,  where 
we  had  left  it,  at  its  lower  part ;  but  in  a  few 
hours  the  width  began  to  diminish  a  little. 

Before  night,  I  had  called  all  hands,  and,  after 
unbending  the  squaresails,  sent  down  all  the 
yards  and  top-masts,  for  I  feared  that  we  might 
have  trouble  writh  the  "  low  bridges,"  and  perhaps 
with  the  trees  that  overhung  the  stream  in  some 
places.  We  frequently  met  river  steamers,  and  I 
found  by  comparison,  that  our  lower  masts  were 
not  higher  above  the  surface  of  the  water  than  the 
smoke-stacks  of  the  boats. 

We  continued  on  our  course  all  night,  one  of 
the  pilots  being  on  duty  all  the  time.  In  the 
morning  the  appearance  of  the  country  was  more 
picturesque,  and  we  had  a  delightful  day.  In  the 
afternoon  we  passed  through  the  lake  at  Peoria, 
which  was  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water.  We  had  a 
current  to  contend  with,  and  our  progress  was  not 
so  rapid  as  it  had  been  the  day  before.  On  the 
following  morning  we  reached  the  head  of  the 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  355 

natural  navigation  of  the  river.  I  went  ashore  at 
Peru,  and  chartered  a  canal-boat,  and  engaged  a 
number  of  horses  and  drivers. 

"What  now,  Captain  Alick?"  called  Colonel 
Shepard,  when  I  came  on  board  of  the  Sylvania, 
with  the  Islander  made  fast  to  her. 

"Lots  of  work  for  a  few  hours,"  I  replied, 
directing  the  mate  to  call  all  hands,  for  I  wished 
to  avoid  all  delays. 

I  found  the  two  steamers  were  each  drawing 
seven  and  a  half  feet  of  water.  We  were  about  to 
enter  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  extending 
from  La  Salle  to  Chicago.  I  had  ascertained  that 
it  was  six  feet  deep ;  and  I  did  not  think  it  was 
likely  to  be  below  that  at  the  present  high  stage 
of  water.  We  had  only  about  a  hundred  miles 
between  the  steamers  and  Lake  Michigan. 

The  government  of  the  United  States  has  al- 
ready considered  the  question  of  making  this  canal 
deep  enough  to  float  ordinary  lake-craft,  so  that 
gunboats  and  other  war  vessels  may  be  sent 
through  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  lakes  in  case 
of  war  with  our  English  neighbors.  Probably  it 
will  be  done  some  time,  but  in  the  interests  of 
commerce  rather  than  war. 


356  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

The  steamers,  drawing  seven  and  a  half  feet  of 
water,  could  not  pass  through  the  canal,  which 
was  only  six  feet  deep.  But  I  was  not  disturbed 
by  this  fact,  as  I  was  prepared  for  it.  The  year 
before,  when  I  had  put  the  Sylvania  through  a 
thorough  course  of  repairs,  I  had  removed  every- 
thing out  of  her  except  her  engine  and  boiler. 
She  had  a  considerable  quantity  of  ballast  in  her, 
composed  of  pigs  of  iron.  When  everything  was 
taken  out  of  her,  she  drew  a  little  less  than  six 
feet. 

The  canal-boat  I  had  engaged  was  drawn  in 
between  the  two  steamers,  and  we  proceeded  to 
load  it  with  cables,  anchors  and  ballast.  We 
rigged  a  derrick  formed  of  the  foreyards  of  the 
vessels,  and  made  as  easy  work  of  it  as  possible. 
When,  at  night,  we  had  taken  every  movable 
thing  out  of  the  steamers,  they  realized  all  my 
expectations,  for  they  drew  only  six  feet.  But 
this  was  making  no  allowance  fo*r  possible  shoal 
places ;  and  Moses,  with  the  engineer  of  the 
Islander,  had  been  at  work,  white  we  were  re- 
moving the  heavy  weights  from  the  hold,  in  de- 
taching the  propellers  of  the  two  craft.  With  our 
shears,  we  hoisted  them  out  into  the  canal-boat. 


YACHTING    ON   THE    MISSISSIPPI.  357 

The  removal  of  these  heavy  weights  from  the 
sterns  set  the  vessels  on  a  more  even  keel,  fore 
and  aft.  A  western  river-steamer  draws  more 
water  forward  than  aft,  so  that  she  may  be  the 
more  easily  worked  over  shoal  places  ;  while  a  sea 
or  lake  vessel  is  just  the  reverse.  We  found  that 
we  were  likely  to  sink  the  canal-boat,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  procure  another.  We  divided  the 
weight  between  the  two,  and  then  transferred  our 
spare  spars  to  them. 

Our  passengers  had  been  greatly  interested  in 
watching  the  various  operations  in  progress.  It 
was  dark  when  our  heavy  labors  were  finished. 
The  ship's  company  and  the  passengers  were  to 
remain  on  board  during  the  passage.  Though  I 
had  told  them  they  could  take  a  train  and  be  in 
Chicago  in  a  few  hours,  they  all  preferred  to  re- 
main, to  enjoy  the  novelty  of  the  canal  trip. 

Our  passengers  were  really  in  no  haste  to  reach 
their  point  of  destination,  yet  they  were  impatient 
to  be  on  the  move,  as  is  always  the  case  with  the 
average  American  traveller.  I  concluded  to  start 
at  once,  as  the  nights  were  now  cheered  by  a  full 
moon,  and  I  intended  to  keep  the  boats  going 
until  they  arrived  at  Chicago.  There  was  nothing 


358  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

for  the  engineers  and  firemen  to  do  on  board,  and 
I  sent  Moses  Brickland  and  Ben  Bowman  forward 
by  railroad  to  several  designated  places  to  engage 
fresh  horses  for  us. 

Our  passengers  sat  up  till  midnight  on  the 
hurricane-deck,  for  the  weather  was  very  warm  for 
the  season  in  this  latitude,  while  Washburn  and 
the  deck-hands  steered.  In  the  morning  our  canal 
drivers  said  we  had  averaged  three  miles  an  hour, 
with  two  changes  of  horses.  This  was  getting 
along  faster  than  I  had  expected.  I  had  written 
to  Mr.  Brickland,  at  Montomercy,  informing  him 
when  we  should  arrive  at  Chicago,  and  inviting 
him  and  his  wife  to  join  us  there,  and  make  the 
trip  home  in  the  steamer. 

The  next  day  was  full  of  interest  to  our  canal 
travellers.  Our  strange  craft  excited  a  good  deal 
of  interest  all  along  the  route. 

When  our  party  came  on  deck  the  next  morning, 
they  found  the  steamers  in  the  canal  basin  at  Chi- 
cago. We  had  made  the  trip  in  thirty-four  hours, 
and  had  not  touched  bottom  once,  so  far  as  I  knew. 
The  fleet  had  stopped  only  long  enough  to  change 
horses  at  any  place.  We  got  the  boats  alongside, 
and  sent  our  party  on  the  way  to  the  hotels,  for 


YACHTING    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  359 

the  odor  of  the  basin  was  not  that  of  ottar  of 
roses. 

The  engineers  went  to  work  on  the  propellers 
first,  and  after  resorting  to  various  expedients,  we 
got  them  in  place.  Steam  was  up  by  this  time, 
and  we  towed  the  canal  boats  down  to  a  point  near 
the  lake.  It  required  the  whole  day  to  restore 
our  anchors,  cables,  and  ballast  to  their  places,  rig 
the  spars,  and  bend  on  the  sails.  By  six  o'clock 
we  were  in  as  good  condition  us  when  we  entered 
the  Mississippi  at  the  Balize. 

We  had  hardly  finished  the  work  before  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brickland  came  on  board.  They  were 
delighted  to  see  us,  and  both  of  them  wept 
when  they  realized  that  Moses  and  I  were  alive, 
well  and  happy,  after  our  long  voyage.  I  had  sent 
for  our  passengers,  and  when  they  came  on  board, 
I  introduced  my  foster  father  and  mother  to 
them ;  and  the  old  people  were  very  pleasantly 
received. 

They  welcomed  my  father  as  one  who  had  come 
from  the  other  world,  for  Mr.  Brickland  declared 
he  had  been  unable  to  realize  that  he  was  still 
alive,  though  I  had  written  them  to  that  effect. 
My  father  insisted  upon  resigning  the  best  state- 


360  UP  THE  RIVER;  OR, 

i 
room  to  them,  though  I  had  intended  to  give  up 

my  room,  while  "Washburn  and  I  divided  the  nights 
between  us  in  the  fore-cabin. 

At  dark  we  were  under  way,  and  fortunately  we 
had  smooth  water,  so  that  Mrs.  Shepard  had  no 
cause  to  complain  of  the  lake.  At  Mackinaw  we 
stopped  a  day  to  give  the  party  an  opportunity  to 
pull  in  some  of  the  famous  trout  of  that  locality. 
Off  Thunder  Bay,  where  I  had  once  weathered  a 
gale  in  the  Lake  Bird,  there  was  a  considerable  stir- 
ring up  of  the  waters,  and  Mrs.  Shepard  declared 
that  it  was  worse  than  the  broad  Atlantic  ;  but  the 
last  was  always  the  worst  to  her.  She  was  delighted 
with  St.  Clair  River,  when  we  passed  through  it 
the  next  day.  We  crossed  the  Flats  by  the  canal, 
and  stood  over  to  Glinten  River.  The  region 
looked  very  natural  to  us,  after  our  long  absence. 
In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  we  made  a  landing 
at  the  wharf  back  of  Mr.  Brickland's  house. 

A  considerable  crowd  had  gathered  on  the 
pier,  for  we  had  been  seen  by  some  one  who  re- 
ported us  in  town.  Those  who  were  acquainted 
received  a  warm  welcome.  The  Shepards  iiisisted 
upon  going  to  the  hotel ;  and  I  did  not  very 
strongly  object,  as  we  had  not  sufficient  accom- 


YACHTING   ON   THE   MISSISSIPPI.  301 

modations  for  them  in  the  house.  They  remained 
there  a  week,  for  the  springs  seemed  greatly  to 
improve  the  health  of  the  lady. 

The  Islander  was  started  on  her  voyage  to  New 
York  the  day  after  her  arrival  at  Montomercy,  for 
the  colonel  wanted  to  use  her  there  soon  after  his 
arrival.  When  his  family  were  ready  to  depart, 
I  conveyed  them  to  Buffalo  in  the  Sylvania.  The 
Tiffanys  wanted  to  see  more  of  the  country,  and 
accompanied  the  Shepards.  Owen  had  decided  to 
go  to  England,  and  Buck  Lingley  and  Hop  Tossford 
felt  obliged  to  go  with  him,  though  their  year  was 
not  quite  up.  I  landed  my  passengers  in  the  canal 
basin. 

I  had  not  felt  so  sad  since  the  news  came  to 
me  of  the  death  of  my  father  as  on  this  occasion. 
I  parted  with  Margie  Tiffany  and  her  father  — 
more  especially  with  Margie — with  a  regret  which 
I  cannot  describe.  But  I  was  permitted  to  Avrite  to 
her  (and  her  father)  as  often  as  once  a  month,  and 
I  hope  before  long  to  see  her  in  England. 

Buck  and  Hop  had  not  been  gone  more  than  an 
hour  before  they  re-appeared  with  "store  clothes" 
on,  and  did  not  look  at  all  like  the  excellent 
sailors  they  were.  Their  real  names  were  Richard 


362  UP   THE    RIVER  ;    OR, 

Lawrence  and  Edward  Blakeley ;  and  when  they 
appeared  in  their  new  dress  I  called  them  by  their 
proper  names.  They  were  very  sorry  to  leave 
the  Sylvania,  and  I  expressed  the  hope  that  they 
would  come  and  spend  a  summer  writh  me  in  a 
cruise  around  the  Great  Lakes.  They  promised 
to  do  it,  if  possible. 

Once  more  we  bade  them  good-by.  "We  staid 
in  Buffalo  to  see  the  party  off  for  New  York  ;  and 
up  to  this  time  that  was  the  last  I  have  seen 
of  them. 

After  my  father  joined  our  party,  I  noticed 
that  Owen  Garninghain  was  never  himself  again. 
Though  he  continued  to  flutter  around  Miss  Edith, 
he  never  seemed  to  be  so  well  pleased  with  me  as 
before.  Yet  I  do  not  think  he  had  anything 
against  me.  I  could  only  attribute  the  change  in 
him  to  the  cancelling  of  the  contract  for  the  use 
of  the  Sylvania  for  a  year,  though  he  had  said 
very  little  about  the  matter.  He  parted  with  me, 
I  think  with  real  sorrow,  and  hoped  he  should 
see  me  again  before  even  another  year  had 
passed  by. 

I  saw  my  cousin  seated  in  the  car  by  the  side 
of  Miss  Edith.  He  sailed  for  England  in  June, 


YACHTING    ON    THE   MISSISSIPPI.  363 

but  I  have  no  idea  how  he  had  the  courage  to  tear 
himself  away  from  her.  I  have  no  doubt  they 
will  be  man  and  wife  in  due  time,  though  my 
father  says  his  mother  will  never  consent  to  the 
match.  As  soon  as  the  train  started  we  returned 
to  the  Sylvania.  The  two  waiters  we  had  hired  in 
Florida  wanted  to  seek  their  fortune  in  New  York, 
and  Colonel  Shepard  promised  to  do  all  he  could 
for  them  on  their  arrival. 

Cobbington  returned  to  Montomercy  with  my 
father  and  myself.  He  was  now  in  apparently 
good  health,  but  he  declared  that  it  would  cost 
him  his  life  to  remain  in  the  North  over  winter. 
Governor  Hungerford  wrote  to  me,  as  he  had 
promised  to  do,  during  the  summer.  Before  the 
cold  weather  came,  I  had  secured  a  situation  in 
Baton  Rouge  for  the  invalid,  where  at  the  last 
accounts  he  was  in  good  health,  acting  as  mes- 
senger for  the  governor. 

My  father  and  I  were  so  well  contented  in  the 
home  of  the  Bricklands,  that  we  remained  there 
the  rest  of  the  season.  He  built  a  summer  resi- 
dence on  an  island  in  Lake  Superior,  where  we 
expect  to  go  every  season  in  the  Sylvania.  I 
liked  my  home  in  the  west  too  well  to  think 


364  UP   THE    RIVER. 

of  giving  it  up,  though  I  was  admitted  to  the 
college  at  Racine  in  September,  as  Washburn  was 
at  Brunswick. 

My  story  is  told ;  but  I  hope,  when  I  have  grad- 
uated, to  make  another  such  trip  as  that  in  which 
we  circumnavigated  twenty-four  states,  besides 
New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  coasted  along 
the  whole  eastern  shore  of  the  United  States, 
visited  the  interior  of  Florida,  crossed  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  sailed  "  UP  THE  RIVER,"  yachting 
on  the  Mississippi. 


Boston  Stereotype  Foundry,  No.  4  Pearl  Street 


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